Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/104912
INSIGHT FROM ... Rich Rovito, industry reporter for the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership Top notch Finding skilled workers a focus topic at Manufacturing Matters! Feb. 28 in Milwaukee Changing the perception about careers in manufacturing is high on the list when it comes to recruitment efforts among manufacturers, many of whom are struggling to fill open positions. A career in manufacturing means a job with familysupporting wages and benefits, many opportunities for career advancement and the satisfaction of making high-quality, essential products. These jobs should never be positioned as a last resort for job seekers, says Mary Isbister, president of GenMet Corp., a metal fabricator in Mequon. ���The perception is that manufacturers take people with no other options. That just reinforces the negative images that are out there,��� Isbister says. In order to effectively change the way job seekers view manufacturing, industrial firms must convey that they only are interested in prospective employees that are ���good enough��� to work in the industry, she says. To be good enough to work in manufacturing, applicants must: �� ave a technical aptitude and the commitment to learn H how to work with a high degree of precision �� ossess ���soft skills��� ��� be able to work well in a P collaborative, team environment with people from a range of backgrounds and specialties �� e self-motivated ��� take initiative and tackle problems B �� are about quality and be willing to learn from mistakes C Careers in manufacturing offer a challenging and satisfying work environment, Isbister says. These jobs are not open to or right for everyone ��� manufacturing jobs are right for people who use their hands and their minds. The idea that manufacturing is a place of last resort is outdated ��� in contrast, today���s manufacturing provides substantial, long-term rewards for the people with the talent and drive to make their mark. Isbister will be part of a three-person panel at the Manufacturing Matters! Conference on Feb. 28 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Milwaukee that will address solutions to the manufacturing skills gap at the national, state and regional levels. 22 | Insight on Manufacturing ��� January 2013 Mary Isbister Jim Morgan Dawn Tabat She will be joined by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Foundation President Jim Morgan and Dawn Tabat, chief operations officer of Generac Holdings Inc., a Waukesha-based manufacturer of generators. Morgan will share his takeaways from more than 50 listening sessions with more than 300 manufacturing representatives, while Tabat will outline how fast-growing Generac finds and trains workers. The panel discussion will be moderated by Buckley Brinkman, the WMEP���s executive director. ���The perception is that manufacturers take people with no other options. That just reinforces the negative images that are out there.��� ���Mary Isbister, president of GenMet Corp. Generac will hire 300 new employees over the next few months. As a true manufacturer, not just an assembler, Generac is planning to hire for positions that require significant aptitude and knowledge. Tabat explains that many of the jobs require a high level of skill which Tabat says may require considerable expense by the company for training new workers. ���Training dollars will be needed just to get some w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g .c o m