Careers Within Manufacturing
There is a stigma around manufacturing and that there is no room for growth, but that simply isn’t the case! The opportunities are endless, and with hard work and dedication each position is a steppingstone for the next.
What are the different types of careers available in the manufacturing sector?
It’s a very diverse field: sales & marketing, purchasing, distribution, manufacturing, scheduling, and leadership. A large part is having a career that you use your hands & mind to make something someone else finds valuable, which is very rewarding.
What skills or qualifications are essential for starting a career in manufacturing?
That is certainly one positive about the field of manufacturing, you can start without any or very little education/training. You become an expert by first learning how to build the product. Often in manufacturing your career branches off from there, that can be into a leadership position or into a different department. For example, you can begin building and work your way into material sourcing. There you would learn where the part you had been using to build came from. Another example is shipping. In that case, you would learn how to get the product to a customer.
What does a typical day look like for someone in a manufacturing role?
A typical day is going to look different for everyone – at all depends on the individual’s role, and then the type of manufacturing and what they are building. For example, an assembly line type of build requires more structure. Each team member relies on each other to make sure the whole line is functioning correctly. In that case, your start time, breaks and work instructions are more rigid. There are other manufacturing environments that have a lot more autonomy, where you are working by yourself and not tied to the actions of your other coworkers.
What are the growth prospects or career progression opportunities in manufacturing?
There are several paths that you could take. One career progression is to start building the product and familiarizing yourself with the product and processes. Then further advance, your way up through leadership into other positions within the organization. If you like how the product is built and find it interesting, a pathway could be to go into engineering to learn how to design the product. Another way to aid career progression is through cross-training. This allows growth and narrows in on what you like to do within your role and responsibility.
What types of certifications or training programs are recommended for advancement?
There is a wide variety of certificates and training programs to be utilized in continuing education and career advancement. With that, there isn’t one specific certificate or training program I can recommend but would encourage each person to find what they have a passion for – what do you want to continue learning Then leverage your peers, leadership, and network to access the opportunities to continue learning through hands-on experiences, certificates and training programs to support your growth and career within manufacturing.
How do you see manufacturing evolving over the next 5-10 years, and what impact will that have on job roles?
There are two that are fairly large, one is mechanization; it isn’t as easy as it sounds, determining when to use robotics in a specific industry can be very complicated. As technology evolves, companies will start looking into how it can be utilized to remove some of the more repeatable work. The other is artificial intelligence. It is tough to see the direction that AI will utilized in manufacturing, but it likely will play a role in the future.
How is the manufacturing sector addressing the skills gap, and what can workers do to stay competitive?
For us specifically, we are working on creating certifications that our employees can earn while still working. We call it, earn and learn, and it is a very important opportunity that we offer. You can’t beat, adding to your skill set while still working to help open the door for future opportunities.
Advice for people that are looking into a career in manufacturing.
Manufacturing is a great career path for many people. There is significant room for growth and development with a number of pathways many don’t realize exist. Be sure that you are authentic to yourself every day. It’s important to care about what you do and have a great attitude towards it. There is always room to change your career. Don’t stay with one just because it’s where you started and thought that it’s where you would be.
