As employers continue to grapple with the talent shortage, some manufacturers are having success hiring more non-traditional candidates and using innovative and inclusive methods in their recruitment.  Non-traditional candidates are people with relevant skills who may not meet traditional job requirements. Education and experience are often overlooked and maybe even excluded when sorting through resumes or applications. This could include the neurodivergent community, justice-impacted or returning citizens, people with disabilities, youth between 18-24 who didn’t go to college, limited English speakers, and others.

This is an original article from the NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

Up and down busy streets nationwide, the same six-word banners stand outside in front of hundreds of businesses. Affixed to poles on front lawns or hanging above entrance doors, these inescapable banners, while the numbers may vary, almost always have the same wording:

Many manufacturers continue to face challenges in their quest to recruit employees. If you are struggling with acquiring talent, consider doing more to attract mid-career workers – individuals in their thirties, forties and fifties who seek new employment opportunities. Armed with experience and skills acquired during years of working, they can be hired to fill critical roles and help propel your company forward.

Here are some helpful tips:

Local and regional colleges are terrific places for recruiting entry-level talent. Here are nine tips for getting the most out of your college recruitment program.

1. Work on Recruitment All Year
College students begin looking for internships and jobs long before they graduate. Therefore, it’s important to form strong relationships year-round through a variety of tactics.

Are you struggling to find an adequate amount of young job applicants? One smart, pivotal move you can make right now is to ramp up recruitment of high-school students. By focusing on current students as well as recent graduates, you can ensure you have a strong pipeline of workers to sustain your manufacturing business. Here are nine ideas to help you get started:

This is an original article from NIST Manufacturing Innovation Blog.

While Fridays have always been a reason to celebrate, the first Friday of October is one that is near and dear to the MEP National Network^TM, as this year, Friday, October 1, is Manufacturing Day (MFG Day)!

Organizing your MFG Day events may have changed quite a bit in the last 18 months. Prioritizing safety, venue capacity constraints, and reduced corporate travel have presented real challenges for organizing manufacturing expos, conferences, factory tours, and other in-person traditional events.