Rural re
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B y M a r y B e t h M at z e k | I l l u s t r at i o n b y T r av i s F o s t e r
Far-flung manufacturers
get creative to fill jobs
8|
/ insight on manufacturing
•
March 2013
t's a concern Dean Stewart hears over and
over again from manufacturers: We can't find
enough skilled workers.
But the dean of corporate training and economic
development at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
says the problem is more pressing for manufacturers
outside of the Fox Valley.
"Many of these workplaces have an aging workforce
and really are looking for help," Stewart says.
Nicolet Plastics Inc. of Mountain in northern Oconto
County is one of those manufacturers struggling to fill
open jobs.
"There's no hiding it; finding enough skilled workers
is a problem," says CEO and President Bob MacIntosh.
The plastics injector molding firm employs 72
workers covering three shifts.
"We work to be an employer of choice within a 40-mile
radius so people will drive here to work. Our pay scale is
comparable to the Fox Valley and we offer good benefits
and a good environment," says MacIntosh, before adding
that it's not always enough.
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