reported a few New Year’s Resolutions for manufacturing in 2015: Resolutions are always a great way to think about goals on a broader scale than we generally do on a daily basis, and at least keep some of those hopes in the back of our minds.

On that note, here’s our list of resolutions for manufacturing in 2015 (inspired by but with a few of our own additions as well).

1. More Diversity in STEM and Manufacturing: We agree with this one hundred percent. Even though women make up nearly 50% of the American work force, as we’ve discussed on the blog before, women remain an almost entirely untapped resource for STEM careers. According to findings from 2013, women make up less than 30% of almost every STEM workforce. This is one of the most important things in the manufacturing field that needs to change, because A.) There are jobs available and B.) Women are a rich pool of STEM talent, who simply aren’t being utilized like they could be. To this, we’d even add something as simple as teaching girls to code at a younger age. Even if they don’t end up going into STEM careers, that exposure to computer science will be more and more important as time goes on. This is a major issue for manufacturers, and one that we all need to work to solve together.
2. US Manufacturing Continuing to Expand: In 2014, manufacturing in America was absolutely outstanding, and this could possibly continue in 2014. However, “While the solid outlook for the U.S. economy remains, there are, however, mounting downside risks to growth this quarter,” Harm Bandholz, chief U.S. economist at UniCredit Research in New York, said last month to the We want this to continue, obviously, and one way that can happen is by supporting American manufacturers and products like we never have before. Just as Made in the USA made a comeback this year, this needs to continue throughout the United States and specifically in Nebraska in order for our economy to continue to thrive.
3. More Youth in Manufacturing: This issue hearkens back to that skills gap we’re always discussing: a labor shortage for major economies with an aging workforce (think Germany, Japan, or the U.S). This means that rather than unemployment solely being an issue, the issue will be that there are levels of unemployment AND levels of jobs that cannot be filled, since there are no workers to fill the positions at a skill level that is required. This takes us back to how amazing it is that high schools across the country are upping their game: We need more vocational training than ever, and more youth that understand the sheer power of manufacturing to change our world, economy, and their lives.

Everyone can help these resolutions come true, and they’re good to keep in mind as we head into a fresh New Year. Questions? Comments? Want to learn more? Send us a or leave us a comment in the section below!

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