One of the main factors preventing an influx of young people into the manufacturing industry is the negative view of this type of work.
The perception that manufacturing is loud, dirty, slow and repetitive is outdated. Manufacturing in the 21st century is far different from what it was even ten years ago,with new innovative technologies such as additive manufacturing, nanotechnology and robotics having a significant impact.
At Fascia Graphics® where we manufacturer membrane keypads, graphic overlays and screen printed labels, we have experienced difficulties in finding skilled workers to fill vacancies. Traditional recruitment methods such as newspapers advertisements are not always effective in the current jobs market.
So how do we identify skilled workers and change their perceptions of manufacturing?
Let’s start with ‘how?’ Millennials, or Generation Y as they are also known, are the generation born between the early 1980’s to the early 2000’s. Where can you typically find this 30 and under crowd? On social media.
Social media has become embedded into our daily lives, with an estimated 2.13 billion users around the globe by 2016.
By cleverly utilising this medium, manufacturers can ‘rebrand’ manufacturing, and change the public’s perceptions. This can be done by providing updates on new innovative technology, the diversity and the far from ‘dirty’ and ‘loud’ realties of manufacturing.
Social media is not only a useful marketing tool to rebrand manufacturing;it is also an invaluable tool in recruitment.It has the benefit of reaching prospective candidates where they ‘hang out’, and also providesvital information about a candidate’s experience and skills, whilst providing a glimpse into their lifestyle and values. With this information you can evaluate a candidate’s potential culture match with your company, engage with them and overall improve use social media to improve recruitment and retention within your company.
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.