Opinion: 2022 - the year of the MegaBoom Job Explosion for NC
As we say good-bye to 2022 and usher in 2023, we need to get more folks in Davidson County and the Triad to realize the opportunities and potential available by the growth underway at existing employers and from the explosion of future jobs announced in 2022. Thousands of new jobs from new companies and billions of future investments pledged in 2022.
How do we eliminate the negative stigmas, stereotypes and gender paradigms that are inhibiting our manufacturing growth?
People are no longer cursed but actually blessed to work in advanced manufacturing and we have to make our youth realize that this is really cool way to make a good living and make innovative stuff like supersonic jets, electric vehicle cars, electric vehicle batteries, silicon carbide microchips, and even recycling metal to make future stockpiles of rebar to help support future construction projects.
To help NC’s culture transition from a postindustrial society service economy to a manufacturing renaissance will take a serious marketing campaign to change the attitudes of parents, students and even educators to support more youth to pursue all of the MegaBoom explosion of jobs coming to the state.
We must get more ready for the serious growth options available or risk the surge in new companies arriving and the growth of existing employers will start to wane or begin to shrink.
Here are some ideas to spur on the cultural changes needed:
You may want to share with economic development, government leaders, manufacturing leaders and educators, PTAs, churches, and even athletic teams, these suggestions.
What we glorify is what we get!
· Host more manufacturing job pep rallies
· Encourage companies to set up more plant tours each month
· Set up more job shadowing events/mentorships
· Encourage more diversity outreach in future apprenticeships
· Encourage retention economic development leaders to set up more employer visits to schools
· Work with athletic directors to get their coaches to encourage athletes to consider manufacturing tech career paths
· Set up more skills competitions
· Help existing employers get more attention to fill their open positions
· Encourage every city, county and school boards to showcase employers during their monthly meetings sharing employment needs
· Create statewide manufacturing employment marketing videos
· Work with TV news stations around the state to showcase manufacturing renaissance
· Create middle school manufacturing orientation summer camps to get more ready for apprenticeships
· Develop more hands-on project-based education programs to accelerate skill development and skill competency levels
Past DL Workforce Development Columns (please share)
https://www.davidsonlocal.com/news/introducing-new-columnist-joel-leonard
https://www.davidsonlocal.com/news/opinion-workforce-development-transitioning-athletes-to-techletes
https://www.davidsonlocal.com/news/bxnyxxilwxfay3ap4n9m2nhhnqw4gf
Workforce Development Radio Podcasts (please share)
To help foster more growth in NC we need to get more of the underserved and rural communities trained on how to prosper with the transitions underway. We must reach into our schools, our churches, our communities and get everyone possible to realize that supporting manufacturing growth is supporting NC growth and future prosperity. We definitely need more athletes to become techletes. Because if they read a sports team playbook, they can also read a blueprint, electrical diagrams and leverage their teamwork skills to prosper in advanced manufacturing careers. We just have to guide them and need more coaches to continually reinforce that message to their student athletes.
Let's all give work a chance by getting more excited and ready for the manufacturing renaissance underway in NC.
What more do you suggest we do to grow the workforce needed to fill the thousands of jobs coming to NC?
If you have more suggestions on how to grow the talent pools, please share your ideas with JoelSkilltv@gmail.com
