Category: Workforce

‘The future is in manufacturing’ is the message one group is trying to hammer home to young people to help recruit more people for jobs – and fight shortages during the pandemic.

Read more from Fox WACH.

The Creators Wanted workforce development exhibition is making its only South Carolina stop at the West Columbia plant. It is the brainchild of The National Association of Manufacturers and its workforce development and education partner The Manufacturing Institute.

Read more from the Columbia Regional Business Report.

Op-ed in the The Post and Courier

Bob Morgan, president and CEO of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, the state affiliate for the National Association of Manufacturers, writes in The Post and Courier: “South Carolina is home to some of the most innovative manufacturing companies in the world. But those companies — and our state’s entire economy — are only as strong as our people. And right now, South Carolina manufacturers need people. From small businesses to major brands, we’re hearing the same refrain: ‘Creators wanted.'”

Here are some additional excerpts:

• “[T]he Creators Wanted Tour Live is in South Carolina next week. Students, parents, teachers and community leaders will have a chance to see for themselves what a modern manufacturing career is really about — through an immersive ‘escape room’ experience, which includes a chance to test-drive augmented reality, made possible by PTC. They will also meet with local manufacturing team members from companies such as Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Trane Technologies and Honda to hear firsthand about their amazing work and incredible opportunities. It’s a chance to get plugged into the industry and find a pathway to a meaningful career.”

• “Today, about 260,000 South Carolinians work in manufacturing, and on average, they earn more than $76,500 a year in wages and benefits.”

To read the full commentary, click here.

During its four days in Columbus, more than 350 students got to participate in Creators Wanted Tour Live, from Canal Winchester High School, Horizons Science Academy, Mechanicsburg School (Entertainment Tech), Sunrise Academy, Marysville Early College High School, Southwestern Career Academy and Millennium Community School. Teachers and parents from the community also joined in the excitement. Here’s what some of these participants thought:

 

The Creators Wanted campaign was created to recruit new talent, change perceptions about modern manufacturing and inspire the next generation of creators. Starting this week, the Creators Wanted Tour Live began visiting cities around the country to bring that message directly to Americans. The first stop: Columbus, Ohio.

Read more from The Manufacturing Institute.

By Ryan Augsburger, president of The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association

Manufacturers across Ohio have a unified message: “Creators Wanted.”

Hundreds of companies, including major household brands and small, family-owned enterprises, are looking for talented Ohioans of all ages to join their teams. With record numbers of job openings, above-average pay, incredible variety in the roles and specializations needed, and the promise of a long, rewarding career, there has rarely been a better time to get your start in manufacturing.

If you need proof of just how eager our industry is for talented new employees, stop by the Creators Wanted live tour coming to Columbus State College Community College through Thursday, Oct. 7.

Read the full op-ed in The Columbus Dispatch

CLEVELAND — Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted and other state and national leaders are highlighting the need to fill manufacturing jobs through a new immersive experience to help get people interested, called the ‘Creators Wanted” campaign.

Read more from News 5 Cleveland.

MFG Day 2021 was a smashing success. This year, manufacturers throughout the nation hosted open houses, factory tours and job fairs—both on site and online—to introduce young people and others to the promise of modern manufacturing. And many companies and leaders took to social media to show their support and love for the industry.

Read more from the NAM.

Through a global pandemic, manufacturers have led the way on health and safety measures, helping keep Americans working—for the U.S. and the world. Now the manufacturing industry continues that leadership while recruiting and inspiring the creators of the future.

On the road: Creators Wanted, the workforce campaign of the National Association of Manufacturers and The Manufacturing Institute, is getting ready to hit the road. The campaign formalized its COVID-19 safety protocols and is employing state-of-the-art technologies, like Sphere Synexis, provided by legacy sponsor Trane Technologies, to continuously fight viruses, bacteria and other hazards in the air and on surfaces. The mobile experience, along with other programming events and new online resources, will bring the story of modern manufacturing to communities across the country. 

• The experience, recently endorsed by The Dallas Morning News, is designed to capture the imaginations of students, teachers and parents and inspire the next generation of manufacturers. 
• It will complement the upcoming release of the NAM and MI’s innovative online resources for those seeking a career in manufacturing.

Coming to a town near you: The NAM and MI released the following Creators Wanted Live tour dates and stops.

• Oct. 4–7: Columbus, Ohio
• Oct. 20–22: West Columbia, South Carolina
• Nov. 8–10: Pella, Iowa
• Nov. 16–19: Charlotte, North Carolina
• Nov. 30 – Dec. 3: Dallas, Texas

Wait, there’s more! Community programming stops are also coming to Freeport, Texas; Detroit, Michigan; Guthrie, Kentucky; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Carson City, Nevada. And a new suite of digital and online experiences and tools will bring the campaign to every state.

Thanks to strong support: “Our ability to mount this bold solution to the workforce crisis through the difficulties of a pandemic has been anything but certain,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons and NAM Board Chair Mike Lamach said in a joint message to NAM membership. “It has taken the unwavering and strong support of some of America’s leading enterprises and business leaders to keep this campaign alive.”

See the full list of Creators Wanted sponsors here. Want to support the effort? Get involved–at any price point–here.

The Creators Wanted Mobile Experience is readying to tour communities across the country and come to homes nationwide via a first-of-its-kind online experience. But, before The Dallas Morning News-endorsed experience, which is designed to recruit new manufacturers and to inspire, educate and empower the next generation of creators, hits the road, the team put it to the test with students and parents.

Methodology: Finsbury Glover Hering (FGH), a leading global strategic communications and public affairs consultancy, came to Dallas, Texas, to observe and question three groups: students ages 15-17, students ages 18-22 and parents who have children ages 15-22. The groups were divided into three sections: an initial conversation about career ambitions and perceptions of manufacturing; a walk-through of the Creators Wanted Mobile Experience; and a discussion of the experience and post-walk through of impressions of manufacturing.

Before the experience: During questioning, manufacturing was not on the radar when audiences considered viable career options. Instead, popular fields like medicine and technology dominated the discussion. Parents and students were skeptical about manufacturing’s ability to instill pride, create fulfilling and rewarding paths and bolster opportunities to grow and advance.

After the experience: In rapid shifts, the Creators Wanted Mobile Experience turned opinions of manufacturing careers almost entirely around. FGH researchers found that, after going through the experience, people came to appreciate manufacturing as a sector that offers:

• Diversity: Both in terms of the workforce and the range of skills and career opportunities in the sector.
• High-end careers: Technology and design are recognized as an integral part in the sector that brings exciting job opportunities.
• Competitive wages: Facts about $29/hour wages surprise people and leave a lasting impression.
• Job security: Students remember information about demand for “millions” of roles and the large size of the sector as part of the national economy.
• The chance to have an impact: Teens recall points about Crayola and cosmetic products, and have a stronger sense of the role manufacturing has in our everyday lives.
• Careers you can be proud of: Parents link a strong U.S. manufacturing sector to national self-reliance, and talk about it with a sense of patriotism.

More than just numbers: “How we’re getting our messages across about manufacturing careers is just as important as what we’re saying,” Chrys Kefalas, NAM Vice President of Brand Strategy. “We earned great reactions from these students and parents because we were able to get them to work as teams, to solve problems and to communicate together—to do what manufacturers do every day—to get through each room of the experience and complete the challenge. As one student told FGH, ‘It’s fun as you’re learning something by doing it.’”

“Escape Room” concept hits the mark: FGH found that experience was “fun and appealing for all ages.” The audiences took on a more relaxed and competitive spirit in response to the activities. “The atmosphere was fun, really interactive and upbeat,” said a student in the age 15-17 group.

Bottom line:  “We have a record of nearly 900,000 open jobs in modern manufacturing today, and 4 million jobs to fill, according to The Manufacturing and Deloitte, by 2030. We knew we had to try something different to recruit and excite the next generation. We’re about to hit the next phase of our campaign to bring more of these rewarding opportunities to more people—and now we can be even more confident that we have the right approaches and messages to get the job done for manufacturers and for our country.”