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November 15, 2021 Editor’s Take

Bordonaro: Manufacturers must continue to play lead role in addressing workforce shortage

Austin Mirmina | Journal Inquirer CCAT engineer Sam Greenbank showing students a robot that he programmed to sort small tiles.
By Greg Bordonaro

The workforce shortage has become an age-old problem for manufacturers.

A new report has once again highlighted the challenges the industry faces.

Nine in 10 Connecticut manufacturers say they are struggling to find and retain workers, and 41% of industry executives recently surveyed by the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) call the labor shortage their main obstacle to growth.

Greg Bordonaro

As the pandemic exacerbates the problem, manufacturers that take a proactive approach in recruiting and training new workers will be the ones that thrive and survive in the coming years. Conversely, employers simply relying on job postings or other rudimentary ways to find and upskill workers will struggle.

Yes, government has a responsibility in ensuring the state maintains a well-educated and trained workforce, but we’ve seen for years that won’t be enough to solve the industry’s problems. Companies must make workforce development a top priority, spending time and money to develop the infrastructure that can retain and yield new talent.

And there are plenty of success stories out there.

Hartford Business Journal recently profiled Cromwell-based Carey Manufacturing Co., which is fully staffed with 52 workers.

Carey has been able to maintain a full staff through community engagement to find new employees, a willingness to provide training, and by offering workers more flexibility, including with their schedules, according to its CEO Paul Lavoie.

Carey Manufacturing’s strategy relies heavily on employees getting out of the factory, forming relationships with educators, and doing anything else possible to encourage young people to consider manufacturing as a career, including offering school-group tours.

It’s time-consuming but effective work. It’s also a blueprint that should be replicated by the industry at large.

Developing internal training programs is also key. As industry experts recently told HBJ, relying on the recruitment of mid-career professionals to replace retiring workers isn’t a viable strategy. Hiring and efficiently training young people is a better long-term option.

Manufacturers are already highly engaged in workforce development efforts, probably more than any other sector in the state.

Need proof?

Just look at several key state government positions that have been created in recent years. Former Whitcraft Group CEO Colin Cooper is the state’s chief manufacturing officer, a position created in 2019, after years of lobbying by the CBIA.

Meantime, another former manufacturing executive, Kelli-Marie Vallieres, is the executive director of the Office of Workforce Strategy.

That type of influence at the top ranks of state government is crucial.

Even the CBIA, the state’s chief business lobby, is led by a former manufacturing executive, Chris DiPentima.

This stuff all didn’t happen by accident. If Connecticut can fill its thousands of open manufacturing jobs, it would be a major boost to the economy. Political leaders know this.

To its credit, the state has also made headway in building a more robust manufacturing training infrastructure. Many community colleges now have advanced manufacturing programs.

The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology in East Hartford recently opened an Advanced Composites Technology Center in partnership with Pratt & Whitney, Goodwin University and the state, which will help train workers in building aerospace components from composite materials.

That kind of private-public partnership is key.

The reality is, demographic shifts — mainly an aging workforce heading to retirement — and negative views about the future of manufacturing and the type of jobs the industry has to offer, have created a perfect storm that’s contributed to a nationwide labor shortage.

States whose private sectors are most engaged in dealing with the issue will have a major competitive advantage. In this regard, Connecticut has an opportunity.

Private sector engagement will be particularly important as Congress prepares to make a major down payment on workforce development efforts.

President Biden’s Build Back Better proposal includes $40 billion for workforce development programs, including money for apprenticeships. Connecticut could receive close to $1 billion of that funding, according to U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy.

Look, I’m as uncomfortable as anyone with the amount of spending coming out of Washington, D.C., but if the money is approved, industry and state government must have a comprehensive strategy to spend it effectively.

Competition for talent is at an all-time high, and the only way to get ahead is to make this a top issue. Success won’t happen overnight.

It’s the personal relationships and partnerships — with government, colleges, high schools, community groups, etc. — that will yield the best results. And it will be up to each individual manufacturer to be part of the solution.

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