By Susan Elkington and Jay Timmons
Though some may not know it yet, Kentucky has rightfully earned a reputation as a hub of modern manufacturing. In fact, more than 240,000 Kentuckians work in manufacturing, and modern manufacturers are looking to hire across the commonwealth.
In Georgetown, Kentucky, modern manufacturing takes the form of auto production at the Toyota factory facility, where more than 8,000 men and women build some of America’s most popular cars and where the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is stopping today as part of the NAM’s 2018 State of Manufacturing Tour.
As the tour crisscrosses the country, the NAM is spotlighting the promising future of manufacturing — and manufacturing careers — in America. While there may have been concerns about manufacturing’s strength just a few years ago, today, the industry is now stronger and more confident than ever. In fact, 95 percent of manufacturing leaders in the NAM’s most recent Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey say they have a positive outlook for their companies. Never before in the survey’s 20-year history has optimism been that high.
At the same time, manufacturing recently hit another milestone. The more than 12 million men and women who make things in America now contribute $2.25 trillion to the U.S. economy—an all-time high.
That’s all good news. But to keep it going, we urgently need to bring even more Americans into the manufacturing workforce.
Yes, for all the talk of automation and job displacement, the truth is manufacturers will need to hire as many as 3.5 million workers by 2025, according to a study from the NAM’s Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte. But if we don’t equip more people with in-demand technical skills, about 2 million of those jobs could go unfilled.
These jobs tend to pay well above average, so we cannot afford to let these opportunities go to waste. At Toyota, for example, in Kentucky and across America, we’re looking for all kinds of creators and innovators.
The workplace is changing. The introduction of new technologies, including automation, robotics and even augmented reality, has transformed the way products are made. It has empowered workers to do things previously thought impossible. But it hasn’t changed the fact that manufacturing relies on talented men and women.
At the Georgetown facility, Toyota’s largest in the world, Toyota knows that the attention to detail—the eyes and ears—that human craftsmanship brings to the operation is indispensable. And as many manufacturers will attest, adding new machines and new innovations to the shop floor increases the demand for new workers to operate that cutting-edge equipment.
Which brings us back to the jobs we need to fill. As an industry and as a country, we must commit to investing in our people. We need to be bold enough to rethink our education models. In many cases, vocational schools, apprenticeships and technical training can open more doors for in-demand jobs than four-year degrees—and at a lower cost.
For anyone wondering whether manufacturing in America has a place for you, the answer is yes. And we want to help you find your way to a rewarding career. You can learn more at CreatorsWanted.org.
Whether your path takes you to auto manufacturing or making the food we eat, the medicines we need, the devices we use or the energy we consume, it is a path to a bright future.
Susan Elkington is president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky. Jay Timmons is president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers.
Solar energy growth has great potential. The industry now employs over 1200 in the state, and the jobs pay well. Unfortunately, as I write this, the KY House is doing everything it can to destroy this industry. The chair of the Natural Resources Committee, Jim Gooch, has used every trick of the trade to ramrod HB227 through the House. This bill weakens our current net metering law, and creates a disincentive to utility customers who want to install solar in their homes and businesses. Consequently, it stifles job growth in this energy sector.
There are so many positives to having a strong manufacturing sector, not only in Kentucky, but in the whole country. Not only do we get better paying jobs that help the workers, their families and their communities, we also help lower the huge trade deficit.
We need to encourage/reward American manufacturing by buying products made in the USA.
http://www.buyamericancampaign.org