How to recruit and retain young manufacturing talent?

Today, 81 percent of American manufacturers say their biggest problem is finding technologically skilled workers.

The issue is related to the image of manufacturing and the quality of education.

But couldn’t it be linked as well to how some manufacturing companies are organized? Are you doing enough to make jobs and careers come alive for the best and brightest manufacturers of the future?

84% of the youngsters born between 1982 and 2000 is very ambitious. So the work content and workplace have to be organized according to some key elements young people need:

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  How Millenials see themselves

  Constant new challenges, new experiences and new ideas.

• Continuous learning opportunities, being stimulated intellectually; master their profession, grow and advance.

• A clear and transparent evaluation process with strong, accountable, explicit individual performance goals connected to inspiring long term perspectives of the company.

• Managers that have the qualities to develop, coach and council their young workers, with an emphasize on development opportunities, being valued and recognized for their efforts, building trust and respect (“Show them trust and they will trust you back and choose to stay”), give a sense of control over their environment, freedom and autonomy, being able to hands-on making things using their own processes and ideas. (

• Cutting edge, high quality equipment they can work with. Young people expect the same high quality equipment at work (or in the classroom) as they have in their homes and daily lives.

• Relevant end-products, with practical use for their own lives; young people don’t want their time wasted.

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  How other generations see Millenials

  A positive impact on the world: they want to make a difference from day one, they want to be engaged in conversations, they want to being asked for their opinions, they want to be listened to and influence their organization.

• A supportive quality company culture: they want to have fun and excitement! Best is building great teams and promoting connectivity with high-quality colleagues. Isolation and lack of mentoring are particularly acute source of dissatisfaction.

• They are aware very aware of today’s ecological and social challenges. As a result most are highly concerned with the health of the planet. A perfect approach to recruit young talent is explaining them the link between your CNC work and green technology creation.

• A good balance between work and their private life; most of all they want to have enough time for their friends, passions, hobbies, volunteering etc

>> Dear Reader: More ideas?

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Best Practices: Generation Y and Robots

I’ve been talking about Creating a “Buzz” to attract young people to technical education.

I mentioned a ROBOT CAMP for kids in Belgium. Each kid was challenged to make his own robot using advanced technology in CNC machines, 3D computer drawing, electronics, soldering, sensors, etc.

Let’s take it a step further now: I’ve met great people of the National Robotics League (NRL) in the United States.

They pretty much understand young kids.

Kids have a desire to be creative. They are very very ambitious. As a parent and/or teacher you always try to do the very best for your kids and provide opportunities that will help them towards well-being and success in life.

>> Nurturing their creative capabilities helps your kids along this road!

>> Give kids the challenges they long for. Offer them new experiences!

>> Why not giving them the chance to study for high-tech, exciting, rewarding careers in TECHNOLOGY CREATION – learning how to make very COOL robots?

>> Let your kids watch this video: