This article appeared in the Jul/Aug 2024 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

For manufacturers across Michigan’s vital automotive, aerospace and defense and semiconductor industries, the need for a robust talent pipeline is clearer than ever. The baby boomer generation marked a significant increase in population growth, but a key milestone for this group of more than 75 million has been an uphill battle for employers for more than a decade: retirement.

The first baby boomers reached retirement age around 2011, kicking off a shift in the composition of the workforce. Between now and 2030, the year that the last baby boomers will turn 65, an estimated 36 million will enter retirement age. Their departure from the workforce leaves gaps across industries, with the loss of talent, historical knowledge and a specialized skillset.

Manufacturers need to look to their communities and stakeholders to find a sustainable path forward. To that end, public-private partnerships and collaborative networks, while not novel concepts, could be the solution to addressing gaps and shortfalls in the state’s manufacturing talent pipeline. Michigan is already very invested in these types of programs, with the prime examples of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s Talent Action Team and “You Can in Michigan” campaign.

For MMA, the Workforce Solutions program provides the framework to build pipelines of eager, qualified talent through the MMA Workforce Solutions Collaborative Network. These partnerships between schools, manufacturers, community-based organizations and local leaders introduce students to good-paying jobs with employers in their communities and help them receive relevant experience in the classroom.

The result is direct access to the talent pipeline, with the opportunity to hire highly qualified students even before they graduate.

However, access to students is only one part of the partnership. In addition to connecting to top talent who are making major decisions about their post-graduation endeavors, manufacturers in MMA Workforce Solutions Collaborative Networks have the opportunity to have direct involvement in what and how students are learning in their advanced shop classes at the middle and high school levels.

This is key to addressing the historical gaps that will come with a generation of employees retiring over the next six years. By working directly with schools to identify equipment, lessons and certifications taught in the classroom, manufacturers have a hand in the talent that will be applying for full-time careers as students graduate. Companies participating in these employer-led initiatives are already singing its praises, sharing that many students are entering their workforce with more qualifications than their college counterparts and the specific skills that these manufacturers want, without the need to reteach or undo previous learnings.

As industries across all sectors address workforce pipeline issues, the best way for manufacturers to handcraft their workforce is through private-public solutions that include a network of partners and stakeholders. The MMA Workforce Solutions Collaborative Network framework takes this a step further, opening the door for employers to connect with their talent at an earlier age and mold them into the ideal workforce. In doing so, we are creating a pipeline of eager skilled trade talent who has built a connection with their future employers and already gained relevant skills in the classroom.

This article was originally published as an op-ed in The Detroit News on 6/5/24.