Spotlight on Women in Manufacturing

There have been several articles recently highlighting women in manufacturing,including a feature story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.  With an estimated 600,000 openings for skilled workers in manufacturing, attracting more women to our sector is important to help close the skills gap.

There is currently a survey in the field co-sponsored by the Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte launched to explore the "educational background, industry experience, career goals, industry perceptions and talent management programs to identify the critical success factors to the attraction, retention and promotion of the best and brightest women."  The survey will serve as the basis for recommendations that companies can implement "to provide opportunities for women to grow and develop professional careers in the manufacturing industry." You can take the survey here.  Deadline is August 1.

How to close the skills gap and attract more women - and skilled workers in general - will likely be a hot topic at FABTECH 2012.  We'll be announcing our conference line-up in August.  Stay tuned!