CLINTON, IA – The 3rd Annual Manufacturing Institute Workforce Summit was held in
Minneapolis, MN from Oct. 8-10 with the focus on “Solving the Talent Equation”. Grow
Clinton’s Director of Workforce Development & Talent Attraction, Stacy Borgeson was
one of over three hundred in attendance. The summit included education professionals,
human resource professionals, community partners, and business leaders both locally
and nationally coming together to address the critical challenges and opportunities facing
the manufacturing sector.
As the manufacturing industry continues to evolve with technological advancements, the demand for a skilled workforce has never been more urgent. The Workforce Summit fostered collaboration and innovation, focusing on strategies to attract, develop, and retain talent in manufacturing.
Based on many studies, the number one issue in the manufacturing industry is the availability of skilled workers. Here in the greater Clinton region, one thing we can do to close the skills gap is continuing to put a focus on training. This should consist of initial training and frequent training. Workers feel empowered when they are confident in the jobs they are performing. And this confidence comes from being well trained.
One focus of the summit was to remain transparent with your team members, and this should consist of all levels of employees. This will allow your employees to feel empowered. Many of the speakers had similar yet different experiences within their workplace, yet they all said the same thing when it comes to their employees. Be transparent and create a people first culture.
Listen to your employees by providing satisfaction surveys, and then act upon those results.
Another significant take away from the summit was the importance of partnerships and
networking. Grow Clinton takes pride our partnerships and is all about networking. In
essence, partnerships and networking are foundational to personal and professional
growth, driving innovation and creating opportunities for success. We will continue to
work together on solving this talent equation, but it will take all of us working together.
