Have you noticed that good news seems hard to come by these days? Watch any television news program or scroll any social media news feed and you’re sure to be bombarded by any number of examples of bad news.
Foreign affairs? We have a new war in the Middle East. The economy? Do you want to talk about inflation or the increasingly likely chances of a recession? The labor market? 2025 saw the lowest level of job creation in recent history.
We could go on, but you get the picture. Manufacturers continue to fight an uphill battle with prices for many goods soaring due to tariffs and other ramifications of the Trump administration’s ongoing trade wars with nearly every other country around the world.
Yet, despite these headwinds, manufacturers still have hundreds of thousands of open positions that they can’t seem to fill. It’s an ongoing issue that many refer to as the “skills gap,” which reflects the reality that the supply of highly skilled workers remains insufficient to meet demand.
In recent years, the manufacturing landscape has been evolving rapidly. Thanks to implementation of advanced automation technologies, manufacturers need workers with advanced skills more than ever before. This has led some experts to question whether manufacturers are recruiting effectively.
According to a Supply & Demand Chain Executive article by Eddy Azad, recruiting for skills should be paramount: “If manufacturing leaders are limiting their recruitment pool to those with advanced degrees, they’re signing themselves up for a big opportunity cost.”
Azad believes that, while “[d]egrees remain valuable (particularly in specialist roles that deal with safety, compliance, and critical processes)…they’re no longer the only path to many modern manufacturing careers, where demonstrable skills can accelerate entry and mobility.”
Rather than focusing on attainment of a particular degree, manufacturers should be “competing for candidates whose skillset is digital. Adaptable. Earned through hands-on experience, though that experience needn’t have come from a classroom or, indeed, the shop floor.”
Are such workers unicorns? Absolutely not. According to Azad, “these candidates do exist. Trained through accredited certificates, apprenticeships, military experience, or intensive on-the-job programs, these ‘new-collar workers’ are hired not for their alma mater, but for their experience with (among others) digital simulation software and cloud computing.”
The author thinks that “[r]eaching out to new-collar workers from trade schools and skills programs can certainly help manufacturing leaders address their ongoing labor challenges, but it’s not the only way to build out their workforce.”
Azad argues that existing employees, given their practical experience and “knowledge of a specific facility’s production,” can also help solve labor challenges “[i]f leaders create an opportunity for this group to become more adept at using a chosen technology.”
What would this look like in practice? Azad provides three examples:
- “Providing training opportunities for employees interacting with a new technology.”
- “Establishing a role-agnostic skills course so that team members who are open to role growth/evolution can set themselves up for success.”
- “Partnering with e-learning and accreditation programs for team members to take advantage of.”
Doing these types of things can foster a win-win situation: “Thoughtfully implemented, reskilling and upskilling programs can make a dramatic impact. In addition to providing avenues for employees to grow and evolve alongside the business, they drive employee retention, foster community, and create a clear avenue for leaders to fill their workforce with people who have the hands-on experience and technical aptitude.”
What all of this underscores for recruiting in modern manufacturing is the need to focus on skills. While education remains important, manufacturers need to determine which skills are critical for success in their organizations and then recruit specifically for those skills while also seeking to upskill current employees who want to evolve.
Unfortunately, many manufacturers aren’t sure where to start. Tackling the challenges of training students and existing workers for modern manufacturing careers can seem daunting. Fortunately, there are experts available to guide them through the process.
Manufacturers and educators can benefit from the expertise of the technical training experts at Amatrol. Amatrol has been the world leader in technical education for more than four decades now. The experts at Amatrol can provide needed guidance on everything from training and hands-on skill development to industry-standard certifications and apprenticeships.
The experts at Amatrol have been working alongside industries and educational institutions for years to design training programs featuring eLearning curriculum and hands-on experience with trainers equipped with industrial components students will encounter on the job. For more information about how Amatrol can help train your current and future workers, contact an expert at Amatrol today!
