Attracting manufacturing talent needs to be an intentional effort

When the leadership and people passing down knowledge in a shop reflect a diverse population, it can help foster an inclusive workplace and demonstrate to new hires that they have upward mobility and are valued at all levels. Lortie/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Having a hard time finding and retaining skilled workers? It’s a common problem for many manufacturers. In today’s job market, it’s not just a matter of putting up a job post and having a line up around the block ready and able to take on the role. For the most part, the manufacturing sector—particularly machining—offers employees a competitive salary and the opportunity for advancement. So why do many shops say that they continue to have difficulties finding and retaining manufacturing talent?

This leads to bigger questions about how the industry currently views itself and what it intends to do about this challenge moving forward. It’s not enough to just wish the problem away; there needs to be more active and intentional push and pull mechanisms in place to help drive more people to this exciting career path.

From the Ground Up

Neeginan College of Applied Technology in Winnipeg has spent the last decade pushing to get the Indigenous population better represented in the manufacturing sector.

"All of our students are Indigenous, and we want to increase the Indigenous populations in different career paths, including manufacturing," said Heather McCormick, director, education and training, at Neeginan Centre. "We also focus on trying to recruit Indigenous women into these areas, since manufacturing can be considered somewhat of a non-traditional career path. If you haven’t had the opportunity in your life to be exposed to any of these industries, it’s really an unknown. We are breaking down some of the barriers and providing opportunity to educate people on the benefits of a career in these industries and giving them a sense of what that looks like before jumping into the commitment of training."

Neeginan believes that exposure to these careers and industries is the best way to get students interested. Whether it’s through tours, open houses, training sessions, or the like, Neeginan is open to show potential students how they can thrive in a career in the manufacturing sector.

"We have some really strong industry partners that we’ve worked with to strengthen our training programs, and many of the Indigenous people currently working in their facilities come directly from Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development [CAHRD]," said McCormick.

One way that the college is helping ensure the success of students in the job force is through the adaptability of its programs. Technology and in-demand skills are constantly changing, and the training program that worked five years ago may be missing something that industry requires of its employees today.

"We are always looking to adapt our initiatives and make changes to our training program," said Bill Bumstead, program, partnership and business development, Neeginan College of Applied Technology/CAHRD. "For example, we originally started with a Level 1 Machinist program, and then through our association in partnership with industry, we established a CNC operator program. While that was ongoing, we didn’t offer the machinist program and industry was quick to tell us that they were looking for workers that had both skill sets. So we now offer a CNC operator/Machinist—Level 1 program. We did this because that’s what industry wants from our students and it sets them up better to succeed and advance in a career in the local manufacturing environment."

Neeginan has taken this approach and bases its outcomes on the needs of industry. Having the necessary technical skills can help propel a student into the workforce. But technical skills are only one part of the equation.

"Technical skills are essential for our students, but we also focus on essential and soft skills so we are developing strong employees across any sector," McCormick said. "We spend a lot of time focusing on both sets of skills so we have well-rounded employees coming out of our training institutions. Sometimes students don’t recognize the importance of some of the soft skills, but they are critical as employers want strong candidates. It’s all about giving our students the foundation for success."

Technology and in-demand skills are constantly changing, and the training program that worked five years ago may be missing something that industry requires of its employees today. kzenon/iStock/Getty Images Plus

So many career opportunities are available for students at Neeginan, but McCormick and Bumstead reiterated that one of the big challenges is access to information. Not everyone knows what a job as a CNC operator entails or the skill sets needed to be a machinist.

"It’s really on our part to have people come in and see what career possibilities are available," said McCormick. "Plus, once you get your foot in the door, there’s lots of room for movement and advancement. We spend a lot of time trying to get our students excited about the options, provide them with the knowledge they need, and remove the barriers that they may encounter. We are trying to lift that veil so that more Indigenous people are represented in the manufacturing sector."

From the Top Down

Setting up students to succeed is only half the battle of ensuring diversity in the workforce. A recent report by the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing, "Bridges, Not Barriers: Advancing Racialized Women in Ontario Manufacturing," stated, "In order to remain competitive, Ontario manufacturers must develop innovative and potentially unconventional strategies to engage skilled and talented persons from an increasingly diverse population."

According the Brendan Sweeney, managing director, Trillium Network, and report co-author, Ontario remains one of the most diverse and affluent parts of the world, yet that is not reflected in the labour market, particularly in manufacturing.

"We know labor markets are tight, especially right now, and people are going to go where they are valued," he said. "Manufacturers that can figure out how to properly value people from all walks of life, all ages, all genders, all races, all ethnicities, and all backgrounds are going to be more successful than those that have trouble figuring that out."

And although there may be many racialized populations entering the workforce, are they entering the manufacturing sector? The report outlines that the jobs that racialized people, particularly women, take on aren’t necessarily the highest-paying positions nor are they leadership roles. This begs the question: What opportunities are being offered?

"The overall theme that keeps emerging is that manufacturing companies will essentially have to prepare themselves for the workforce that they want," said Shannon Miller, program officer, Trillium Network, and report co-author. "This is a requirement for sustainable improvement. It’s not just about filling jobs, it’s about being intentional about how you fill those jobs, the work environments you’re fostering, who feels welcomed in, overcoming biases, who has access to or feels like they have opportunities for certain jobs, and being intentional about the accessibility of contracts. They are all important to foster an inclusive work environment in manufacturing."

Sweeney explained that it’s not just about the numbers and getting new employees; there’s a qualitative element that needs to be acknowledged. Engineering, management, and ownership have the highest-paying jobs. Are these positions accessible to a very diverse and talented population as well? The report found that in manufacturing, the more money you make, the less likely you are to be a woman.

"I think this holds true for other demographic indicators," said Sweeney. "If you’re promising good jobs, but you’re only offering those good jobs to a select group of people, maybe it’s time to take a look at how you could be a bit more inclusive about that."

This work needs to begin with leadership, and there needs to be an intentional strategy for inclusivity that starts at the top and cascades to the rest of the company.

Manufacturers that can demonstrate they properly value people from all walks of life, ages, genders, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds are going to be more successful than those that struggle to figure it out. Drazen Zigic/iStock/Getty Images Plus

"Part of that work includes implicit bias awareness because that influences everything," said Miller. "Your perspective of the world is informed by your experiences, and that shapes how you view others and can influence people’s job prospects and whether or not somebody thinks that they can advance. Leadership needs to play an active role in weaving inclusion of underrepresented groups into their business strategy."

In tandem, management needs to assess its workplace culture because it’s one thing to hire someone, but it’s quite another to retain that person.

Having the necessary technical skills can help propel a student into the workforce. But technical skills are only one part of the equation.

"A shop might be fine at attracting people into the company, but once in place, is the company tracking the demographics and looking at whether people are all given opportunities to advance and develop?" asked Eva Kwan, research associate, Trillium Network, and report co-author. "Sometimes the retention and advancement pieces are left out of the conversation. So, if you’re entering a company and you don’t get these opportunities, then you might go to another industry or sector where they are more inclusive. The knowledge that a company wants to invest in all of its employees is important."

It can be very difficult to see gaps when you are part of something and aren’t actively searching for them. This is why awareness is so important to this equation. There are challenges and barriers in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. The big question is, how do we remedy this? It’s all about making an intentional effort.

"Adding more opportunities for training and development is a good start," said Miller. "Also, being mindful about how you market and promote within both the job applications and the company. Communication and a lack of access to information can be a barrier. It’s not enough to just open the door; you have to build the bridge, and that include support systems for racialized women, underrepresented groups, supplier diversity, and inclusive procurement. But it also includes developing the current and entering workforce. Having that infrastructure in place to develop workers for opportunities to advance in manufacturing is key."

Inclusion needs to be woven into a company’s business strategy. Things can be done at a lower level, but within the workforce leadership it is essential to make necessary adjustments, such as widening the scope of recruitment and speaking and partnering with associations that help reach a more diverse population. Make your search committee transparent. Be open and honest about salary ranges for job positions, and relate those to skill sets and not demographics. Even the language in a job posting can affect who can access the posting.

"For leaders out there, don’t underestimate your role in making significant and sustained change," said Kwan.

The goal is a diverse supply chain that relies on different size companies with a range of industries run by different leaders who hire people from different backgrounds and experiences. These workers offer varied approaches and answers to problems.

"The manufacturing sector has a lot of gaps that need filling," said Miller. "We will need all of our best and brightest to fill them. Diversity is one way to do that, and it will only make the sector stronger."

Associate Editor Lindsay Luminoso can be reached at lluminoso@canadianmetalworking.com.

Neeginan College of Applied Technology, cahrd.org

Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing, trilliummfg.ca