FMA Annual Meeting Recap: On-going effort to recruit manufacturing’s next-gen workforce

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Editor's Note: This is the fifth part of our FMA Annual Meeting Recap blog series. Check out the Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.

When Seth Feldman graduated from high school a couple of years ago, he never considered a career in manufacturing.

“No one sat down with me when I was in high school and asked me if I actually wanted to go to college,” he said during the “Recruiting the Next Generation of Manufacturers” panel discussion at the 2021 FMA Virtual Annual Meeting. “I just always thought a four-year degree was the right path for me.”

As it turns out, it wasn’t.

“I didn’t learn that way,” said Feldman, who’s now an intern at Wertzbaugher Services, a custom welding and fabrication business in Liberty, Iowa. “When I was younger, I never ever would have thought I’d be where I am now.”

XYZ University CEO Sarah Sladek sat down with Feldman and two other young manufacturing professionals, Lindsey Lawton and Evan Williams of Jones Metal in Mankato, Minn., to get their thoughts on how the industry is handling the recruitment and retention of next-generation workers.

While shops have certainly made improvements in making the industry more appealing in recent years, Feldman, Lawton, and Williams, like other young manufacturing professionals, think that industry recruiters and educators need to be more aggressive in introducing the idea of a manufacturing career path at a much earlier age.

“I didn’t know this was an option before ninth grade,” said Lawton, who is a welder at Jones Metal. “I’m very grateful that I took the opportunity when I saw it, but most young people won’t.”

The panel agreed that it’s not enough just to talk about manufacturing with kids. They need to be given a chance to experience it to truly get a better appreciation.

“Being as hands on as possible at a young age can really spark an interest,” Lawton said. “I think people learn best by seeing and doing instead of just having to listen.”

That also means being able to properly engage with the potential next-generation workforce. And it goes beyond the low-hanging fruit of enticement through social media platforms and YouTube.

Shops looking to recruit need to take the time to bridge the gap between students and the industry. Better collaboration between skilled trade classes at high schools and manufacturing shops is what’s needed to truly garner interest.

“Right now it’s mostly career fairs, touring facilities,” said Williams, a project engineer and salesperson at Jones Metal. “When I was in high school, we did that. But it might be possible to have workshops within the school or company – getting students involved and maybe trying out welding or something on an off-day. Just looking is great, but actually being able to try it to see if you like it would be better.”

Appropriate recruitment also means having a clearer understanding of the wants, needs, and communication methods of Generation Z workers.

Communicating via text or social media should no longer be viewed as a negatively stereotyped means of dialogue. Let’s face it, the reliance and attachment to smartphones is a cross-generational way of life nowadays. And even though it’s another tool to easily reach younger workers and open the door for efficient communication, that doesn’t mean younger workers will shy away from face-to-face interaction.

“Global research shows that Generation Z workers actually prefer in-person communication, and that there’s tech fatigue that plays a part,” Sladek said during the virtual panel.

The tech fatigue goes beyond just communicating through smart devices. Feldman, Lawton, and Williams all reiterated that their young generation is very aware of the concern regarding lost skills due to an overreliance on automation, especially as the baby-boomer generation continues to leave the workforce at a greater rate than younger professionals enter the manufacturing workforce.

So when Sladek asked the panel what the industry will look like in five to 10 years if the skills gap isn’t closed, Lawton responded with a frank answer:

“We’re going to lose our craft and lose our teachers. People are retiring, people are getting old, and people die. And that talent dies with them if we don’t step in. Technology can help, but robots can’t do everything. We’re always going to need people to fix those machines and program those machines. It doesn’t matter how far our technology progresses; we’re always going to need workers behind it.”

And Feldman, Lawton, and Williams said their generation wants to be those workers.