The Oxford Dictionary defines opportunities as, “a set of circumstances that make it possible to do something.” A broad definition to be sure, but certainly highlights the point of today’s blog topic, opportunities that can be found within the manufacturing industry. While it can sometimes be hard to see through the fog of a pandemic, there are certainly still a bounty of opportunities present, available, and waiting for you to join.
As the definition states, a set of circumstances must occur before opportunities can present themselves. At the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium, we believe in creating those circumstances, so that motivated individuals, who may have been not-so-lucky when it comes to career choices, are presented with the right circumstances to develop their own opportunities for careers within the industry.
Manufacturing Careers In Massachusetts: A 2021 Outlook
Despite the whirlwind year that 2020 was, we continue to push through 2021 with high hopes that the global health crisis will come to a swift end. However, even if stalled, innovation never stops, and the manufacturing industry continues to optimize efficiency across the world, the country, and especially right here in Massachusetts.
BRINGING MANUFACTURING HOME: LOCAL MANUFACTURING OPPORTUNITIES
It is expected that more and more manufacturing companies will bring their facilities back to the states due to trade tensions and relations between the United States and other countries around the world. And, while we won’t get too deep into trade politics here, this presents an abundance of opportunities for individuals seeking a promising career change or path.
Our culture also has placed a heavy, positive, emphasis on locally made products and services. This concept even applies to the manufacturing industry. Our society continuously seeks products made by our neighbors, within our communities, akin to the “farm-to-table” culture that has taken the restaurant industry by storm.
WANTED: TECH-SAVVY INDIVIDUALS TO WIELD CUTTING EDGE INNOVATIONS
There’s a commonly held belief that manufacturing careers involve hours of boring, tedious work within an old, dusty factory. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, the manufacturing industry works with the latest, state-of-the-art, technology to increase overall productivity and facility output.
A manufacturing career in 2021 (and beyond) ensures that you will be learning, utilizing, and even perfecting cutting-edge technological machining techniques to craft the best products, parts, services, and devices possible in the most efficient way available. Manufacturers use this technology to create life-saving medical devices, aerospace components, and everyday products that we use daily.
A FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES
If you seek to work in an industry that values sustainability and the utilization of renewable resources, manufacturing may just be the place for you. As manufacturing grows and adapts to the world that it resides in, our industry continues to seek new and improved ways to operate sustainability with optimized energy efficiency.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “A growing number of manufacturers are realizing substantial financial and environmental benefits from sustainable business practices. Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources. Sustainable manufacturing also enhances employee, community, and product safety.”
Going forward, a career in manufacturing presents the opportunity for all trainees to take part in an industry dedicated to not only using environmentally-friendly techniques and technologies but also perfecting those same technologies from within. This illustrates yet another way that manufacturing is helping to make the world around us a better place to live and work.
RESTRUCTURING THE WORKFORCE BASED ON FLEXIBILITY AND AGILITY
Last year, 2020, saw an economy forced to restructure how it operated based on the (currently ongoing) pandemic, meaning that new safety measures alongside hybrid working models had to be adopted to maintain industry efficiency. This year, surveys and analysts predict that manufacturing executives will seek to re-architect daily operations to manage unforeseen disruptions, adopting more flexible and agile hybrid manufacturing operations.
According to Deloitte, “61% of surveyed executives are planning to develop a hybrid model for their production and non-production processes over the next three years.”
We believe that these changes will push the already innovative manufacturing industry even further. Flexible workers with digital knowledge and experience will be essential in breeding a new generation of manufacturing workforces across our region, the nation, and the world.
Find Your Opportunity With AMTEP
The Advanced Manufacturing Expansion Program seeks to create training opportunities for underemployed or unemployed individuals on the North Shore of Massachusetts to create successful circumstances for themselves.
By seeking to replace an aging and retiring manufacturing workforce, the program is training individuals to take their place, armed with foundational knowledge through 415 hours of hands-on machine technique training and well-rounded industry knowledge, including advanced technological know-how.
We understand that hours spent job searching while underemployed or unemployed can be taxing on your mental health and those around you that require financial support. For this reason, we offer our training free of charge with the proven goal of supporting the manufacturing industry with qualified, trained, and satisfied employees.
A new, digital-first, age is upon us, filled with opportunities to succeed within the manufacturing industry through hard-work, dedication, enriching learning opportunities, and continued training. Our industry has done its part to create the circumstances necessary to pursue success, job growth, and financial freedom. Will you choose to take on the opportunity?