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Industry Outlook bad perception about manufacturing jobs," says Keith Gerber, Finding Qualified Workers 54% owner and president at Hoosier Pattern (Decatur, Indiana). "People think a machine shop Finding New Business 16% means a dirty environment and low pay. It's quite the opposite. The shops are clean and Overseas Competition 14% equipped with the latest technology. Employees are highly Keeping Up With New Technology 8% trained, highly skilled and wellpaid." The first step in drawing in 3% Local Competition young workers is changing this perception. Gerber is doing more than just talk. "I'm tryOther 4% ing to set up meetings with the local high schools to bring the counselors and teachers Top tool-shop challenges. out here so they can see it with their own eyes." Hoosier Pattern also has set FIGURE 3 up an apprenticeship program that brings in high school grad52% uates to teach them the trade. After five years in the program, apprentices have logged 10,000 42% hours of on-the-job training, 41% while also earning credit hours at a technical school. "Rather 29% than finishing college with huge debt and no occupational skills, our apprentices get a raise every quarter and gradu19% 17% ate with no debt and with highly sought-after technical skills," Gerber says. Other shops are taking More The Same Less similar steps. Industrial Mold & Machine (Twinsburg, Ohio) is equipping employees with iPad Plans for equipment and software investment (next 12 months vs. past 12 months). tablets and applying innovative social networking technologies to bridge the gap between generations and speed up knowlAt the same time, it is worth noting that 58 percent of the edge transfer to apprentices. survey participants have been employed in the tooling indusVocational institutions and technology vendors also are try for more than 20 years, and 26 percent have been in the doing their share in the effort to train new workers. Starting industry more than 10 years. With few new workers joining this year, students at the McCann Vocational Regional High the industry, it is no wonder that finding qualified workers is School in North Adams, Massachusetts, have the opportunity the No. 1 challenge cited by survey respondents (Figure 2). to gain hands-on experience with CAD/CAM software, thanks When it comes to passing the moldmaking torch, decades to the donation of $900,000 worth of software licenses from of a shrinking job pool have driven many away from the Cimatron. manufacturing sector, especially young workers. "There is a FIGURE 2 34 MoldMaking Technology December 2013