Closing the Manufacturing Skills Gap by Embracing Millennials

Thanks to the millennial generation of 18- to 34-year-olds, U.S. manufacturers potentially have tens of millions of untapped workers at their disposal. As American manufacturing continues to pick up steam with technological advances and reshoring efforts, companies must learn to narrow the manufacturing skills gap to attract younger workers as part of a vibrant labor pool.

Tapping the millennial generation ensures that U.S. manufacturers have skilled workers for the next several decades. As baby boomers retire, companies must realize that these older, hands-on workers entered the workforce when manufacturers used human strength over machines to perform manual labor. Now, companies push towards more automation, and understanding these machines requires a different type of workforce. Hence, the manufacturing skills gap may revolve around knowing the newest computer software, automation techniques and cloud applications, as compared to previous manufacturing knowledge.

A survey from Tooling U-SME reveals that as many as 46 percent of companies surveyed recruit millennials differently than they did older generations, and 70 percent feel that younger workers need to be managed differently than older workers. Millennials may need a place to learn continually, hear constant feedback and engage with work digitally in order to feel more comfortable. Supervisors and HR managers should adapt to this new generation of workers. If not, manufacturers may fall behind current trends.

Special initiatives can help narrow the manufacturing skills gap with targeted continuing education classes, formal training procedures and good onboarding programs. Manufacturers should utilize partnerships to help foster an educational environment, whereby workers learn the skills they need to compete in a contemporary factory setting.

For instance, workers can attend classes at a local vocational or technical college, and employers can compensate workers by paying for tuition if employees pass each class. After someone receives the certificate or degree, the company should increase the person's wages. The company wins by having a more highly skilled labor force, while the college earns more money through tuition to expand its programs. Workers narrow the manufacturing skills gap and become viable employees for a lifetime while earning more money. Everyone benefits from educational partnerships.

Firms can also implement great on-site training initiatives to improve the manufacturing skills gap. Companies create their own educational resources with mock-ups of an assembly line, or using one shift solely for training purposes for a few weeks. Manufacturers may rotate workers to do different tasks along the line, and then teach everyone how to perform each task in the process. That way, everyone knows how the plant works on a regular basis, and millennials feel empowered to care about how things work on the factory floor.

The sooner firms narrow the manufacturing skills gap, the better. Otherwise, profits slowly erode as businesses that adapt quicker gain more market share. Companies can check government initiatives, partner with local colleges and host job fairs to ascertain the best way to move forward in the very competitive labor marketplace.

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