Is Manufacturing Day a Waste of Time?

The fourth annual Manufacturing Day event occurs Oct. 2, 2015, and companies around the United States are preparing to open their doors for open houses, tours and school kids. The idea is to get children excited about the types of jobs manufacturers do so they want to take on manufacturing jobs later in life.

Becky Morgan, president of business management firm Fulcrum ConsultingWorks, writes for Industry Week that Manufacturing Day represents a good start, but it has too limited of a scope. Getting children of any age in the building shows manufacturers are willing to take steps to recruit youngsters into the exciting field. Firms show children advanced robotics, remote-controlled machines and physical processes that go into making products. Women get girls excited about fixing machinery, solving design concepts and running computer systems in factories.

Talking to children on Manufacturing Day solves only one portion of the puzzle for one day a year. Companies should also recruit fast-food workers, veterans just returning from active duty and people who were just laid off from nonmanufacturing jobs. The more public relations events a company holds, the better, in terms of visibility, receptiveness and maintaining public interest in these types of positions.

Manufacturing Day grows every year. More than 1,600 events have welcomed 400,000 people into manufacturing facilities. Organizers hope for more than 2,250 events in 2015. The event draws educators and American youth to facilities that explain career opportunities in the industry.

The main impetus for the event remains the wide manufacturing skills gap that exists between older workers and younger recruits. Factories have changed drastically in the past 30 years as robotics, integrated technology, wireless devices and computer software have advanced enough to become affordable to millions of companies. Engineering, design and repair work have replaced grunt work in terms of moving products down the assembly line.

Companies should recruit children, and any interested parties, with regular events and not just annual festivities such as Manufacturing Day. Facilities could offer regular tours and one-on-one visits with coordinated pushes through recruiting agencies, high schools, community colleges and job placement companies. Manufacturers can rent or invest in 30-passenger shuttles to pick up potential employees and bring them out to the facility. Firms can coordinate their marketing and HR departments to show people as a whole — not just teenagers — the human side of manufacturing.

Repeated reinforcement leads to a desired behavior, which is why businesses should not stop with annual events. If narrowing the manufacturing skills gap remains a priority, firms should develop educational partnerships with local colleges to filter recruitment tools in another avenue. On-site training initiatives bring current employees into the fold with updated technology. Mentoring programs help new employees acclimate to the factory floor better.

Manufacturers must keep the gravy train rolling beyond Manufacturing Day and bring more potential employees into the fold. To do that, everyone must be on board for the recruitment process before more companies fall victim to the widening skills gap.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net