Choose DuPage and Chicago Metro Metal Consortium Event Addresses Solutions for Building Regional Manufacturing Workforce

Experts representing manufacturers, educational institutions, non-profit governmental organizations and the U.S. Department of Labor participated in a constructive discussion on Friday, March 24, surrounding the growing need to focus on talent, development and retention of Metals and Machinery Manufacturing companies in DuPage County. Amidst current skills gap challenges impacting the manufacturing workforce, participants are seeking to build awareness about the career opportunities available in the fields of technology and advanced manufacturing. The DuPage Metals and Machinery Manufacturing event, sponsored by the Choose DuPage Economic Development Alliance and the Chicago Metro Metal Consortium, facilitated an open dialogue to address challenges facing manufacturers, and potential solutions to attract candidates to the workforce.

Data shows a steadily increasing amount of jobs in the manufacturing segment will continue to go unfilled unless a targeted effort begins to focus on attracting the next generation to the workforce. Aaron Wiegel, president of Wiegel Tool Works, noted finding skilled candidates has been difficult for his company. As a result, they have focused efforts on educating youth about the opportunities available within the field of manufacturing, and funneling them into apprenticeships with their company.

“The average age of people in the Metals and Machinery workforce is 59,” said Wiegel. "We have to have a pipeline of applicants—this means we need to do things like sponsor high school competitions, involve parents and provide summer jobs."

DuPage County, and the surrounding Chicagoland area, is one of 24 regions in the United States to receive a designation from the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) by the US Department of Commerce. The IMPC was established to incentivize and facilitate collaboration among private and public sector stakeholders in U.S. manufacturing communities, in order to support growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector. Their focus is the creation of new manufacturing jobs, regional economic growth and increased federal support for regional economic and workforce development objectives. The IMPC designation qualifies DuPage for preferential consideration of program applications for grants and other incentives. John Bradarich, affiliate relations manager of IMEC, noted the program has provided countless resources to manufacturers in the region—manufacturers, associations and educational organizations need to come together to take advantage of these opportunities to fill the gap.

This event, attended by more than 50 HR Managers, general managers, marketing managers, as well as owners, presidents, vice presidents of local companies continued the important conversation in helping to determine workforce needs of DuPage Metals and Machinery Manufacturing companies and connect them to available resources.