Union Pacific Railroad, MI and NAM Celebrate #MFGDay24 to Give Students and Communities an Inside Look at Modern Manufacturing
Washington, D.C. – On Oct. 4, Union Pacific Railroad, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute—the workforce development and education affiliate of the NAM—will celebrate Manufacturing Day (MFG Day), a national day focused on fostering an in-depth understanding of the rewarding and high-paying careers available in modern manufacturing.
MFG Day launches annually on the first Friday of October, with events throughout the month and beyond.
MFG Day, which is an initiative of the MI, brings manufacturers and others together to build excitement for manufacturing careers, while helping communities and future generations thrive. With hundreds of thousands of jobs available in the manufacturing sector, the need to connect communities and people across the United States with these opportunities has never been greater.
“National MFG Day puts the spotlight on modern manufacturing, allowing us to change the narrative and perception about the careers available today,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “Too many people are unaware of the incredible opportunities for meaningful, well-paying careers in this innovative industry. This is only the beginning. That’s why we’re working year-round to engage the future of our workforce—America’s students and young people—to show them what’s available today in their own backyards.”
“Union Pacific is proud of our history supporting the manufacturing industry on numerous fronts, including shipping the goods and raw materials needed to manufacture products sold here in the U.S. and abroad,” said Union Pacific President Beth Whited. “We believe strongly in the spirit of MFG Day and its goal of inspiring a new generation of workers to consider a career in manufacturing, including fulfilling careers available in the freight rail industry.”
“Every year, manufacturers from around the country help us celebrate MFG Day and plant the seed for the next generation of manufacturing teams,” said NAM President and CEO and MI Chairman of the Board Jay Timmons. “Manufacturing is a high-tech, clean, rewarding and life-changing place to build a future, and MFG Day is a chance to put our best foot forward.”
As an official sponsor of MFG Day 2024, Union Pacific Railroad, alongside the MI and the NAM, is proud to showcase the dynamic and innovative nature of the manufacturing industry and to inspire the workforce of today and tomorrow.
For more information about MFG Day or to learn how you can get involved, please contact MI Director of Student Engagement Jen White at [email protected] or (202) 637-3158.
Media interested in interviews can email David O’Brien.
-NAM-
The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs nearly 13 million men and women, contributes $2.87 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 53% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit www.nam.org.
-The MI-
The Manufacturing Institute builds a resilient manufacturing workforce prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future. Through implementing groundbreaking programs, convening industry leaders and conducting innovative research, the MI furthers individual opportunity, community prosperity and a more competitive manufacturing industry. As the 501(c)3 nonprofit workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, the MI is a trusted adviser to manufacturers, equipping them with solutions to address the toughest workforce issues. For more information on the MI, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.
A Veteran and His Spouse Forge New Careers in Manufacturing
Finding a civilian job after serving in the military can be daunting. For former Army cavalry scout Jose Gallegos, the task was even more complicated because his spouse, Aleksandra Balinska-Gallegos, also needed a new position. Through Heroes MAKE America—a Manufacturing Institute program that builds connections between the military community and the manufacturing industry—both Gallegos and Balinska-Gallegos found rewarding roles in Pennsylvania with food and industrial manufacturer Cargill.
The program: Heroes MAKE America provides integrated certification and career-readiness training in partnership with local community colleges to prepare transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard members, reservists and military spouses for rewarding careers in the manufacturing and supply chain industries.
- “The program not only introduces you to the manufacturing world—it prepares you for everything that is around it,” said Balinska-Gallegos. “How to correctly write your resume, how to match a military background with civilian life, how to translate military vocabulary to civilian vocabulary. And from writing a resume to emailing with potential employers and preparing for interviews—it was a little bit of everything.”
The benefit: The program helped both spouses at the same time—a huge benefit for Gallegos, who was looking for opportunities in the civilian world, and for Balinska-Gallegos, who had arrived with Gallegos from Lithuania and was worried about navigating the U.S. job market.
- “I was a completely new fresh military spouse,” said Balinska-Gallegos. “When Jose told me that there was an opportunity not only for him to go to the manufacturing program, but to also take his spouse—I was over the moon.”
Working nearby: Although they work in different plants—Gallegos as an operations and management associate at a meat production plant, and Balinska-Gallegos as an administrative assistant at a plant producing chocolate—their mentors at Heroes MAKE America helped ensure that the couple would work at the same company and in the same location.
- “He’s at a meat plant, and he loves beef. I’m at a chocolate plant, and I love chocolate,” said Balinska-Gallegos. “It’s perfect.”
Finding success: Although Gallegos’ work in the Army was very different from his role at Cargill, his supervisors have already noticed his leadership skills. While the approximately 60 other associates recruited this year are all college graduates, it’s Gallegos who has been called to take on bigger tasks.
- “After my first month, they started giving me supervisor responsibilities,” said Gallegos. “I’m shadowing managers and superintendents so I can learn from them, so … I can be in different areas of the plant.”
The last word: “I would have been very scared to start working in the U.S. without this kind of background, and I’m not sure what [Jose] would have done after leaving the Army if he didn’t go through the Heroes MAKE America program,” said Balinska-Gallegos. “That course prepared us immensely for this new life.”
Learn more: Find out more about Heroes MAKE America and the Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education affiliate of the NAM, here.
Photo: Jose Gallegos and Aleksandra Balinska-Gallegos with MI Director of Heroes Program Execution Rachelle Wolford (left).
NAM Welcomes New Chief Economist
The NAM has a new chief economist.
Victoria Bloom, who was most recently the economist for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee minority staff, joined the NAM and its 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate, the Manufacturing Institute, this summer. She had worked on Capitol Hill since 2017.
Our view: “Manufacturing in the U.S. is a life-changing force for good, providing well-paying jobs and career opportunities and products that improve the quality of life for everyone,” NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said. “Victoria will help us tell this story with compelling data, which will demonstrate the real impact of policy decisions and illustrate the modern manufacturing resurgence.”
- Added MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee: “With the addition of Victoria to the MI team as the head of research, we look forward to expanding our portfolio of studies on the key workforce and competitiveness issues facing manufacturers.”
Legislative chops: Bloom, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree from George Mason University, previously worked for Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL), in addition to her work on the Senate Commerce Committee.
- As Senate Commerce Committee economist, she served as lead economic and budgetary adviser to Ranking Member Ted Cruz (R-TX) and the minority committee staff.
Glad to be here: “After years of working on Capitol Hill and lending my economic expertise to policy debates, I am excited to focus my efforts on the 13 million people who make things in America,” Bloom said.
A Navy Vet Finds a New Mission
Many people imagine that a job in manufacturing requires working on a shop floor to create products. Joseph Fields—a human resources professional at MGX Equipment Services—knows that isn’t the case.
“Working in MGX, there’s cranes and welding and engineering—but there’s also HR, and finance, and payroll, and employee health and safety,” said Fields. “There are lots of opportunities you can lean into.”
The background: Fields spent eight years as a yeoman in the U.S. Navy before he transitioned into a civilian role in 2000. Over the course of the next two decades, he worked in human resources at a variety of companies. However, he was laid off in October 2023 after a six-year stint when his employer downsized.
- A few days later, he attended a virtual career fair sponsored by Heroes MAKE America—a Manufacturing Institute program that builds connections between the military community and the manufacturing industry—and found his new role.
- “I wasn’t planning to go to the HMA career fair, because I had zero experience with manufacturing,” said Fields. “But I saw it on LinkedIn, and at the time, I hadn’t interviewed with anyone in six years. I figured this would be a good opportunity to talk about myself and get some feedback.”
The result: Fields didn’t just get feedback, he was offered a job with MGX, one of the manufacturers in attendance.
- “I met with lots of great companies, including a manager at MGX, and we had a great conversation,” said Fields. “She called me the next day and asked if I was interested in an HR position. They offered it to me the week after Thanksgiving.”
- “We are very thankful we found Joseph through Heroes Make America. He attended our virtual career fair and visited our breakout room. After listening to our presentation a few times, he still stayed in our room,” said MGX Director of HR Ashley Barkdoll. “I could tell he would be a great fit for our team after having a few conversations with him.”
The program: Heroes MAKE America provides integrated certification, career-readiness training and job-searching support in partnership with local technical and community colleges to prepare transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard members, reservists and military spouses for rewarding careers in the manufacturing and supply chain industries.
- Heroes also offers virtual and on-site career fairs—like the one where Fields found his new position—for members of the broader military community.
The other side: Today, Fields is paying it forward by working with Heroes MAKE America to find veterans and others with military affiliations to interview with MGX. He’s especially grateful for the support that Heroes gives to graduates and other job seekers throughout the hiring process.
- “I like that Heroes MAKE America not only promotes organizations that focus on veteran hiring, but also that they do the follow-up to make sure people get hired,” said Fields.
Advice to veterans: Fields wants other veterans to know that manufacturing offers a broad range of opportunities, with something for everyone—and that Heroes MAKE America can help them find it.
- “It’s not about finding a manufacturing job; it’s about finding a job in a manufacturing company,” said Fields. “There are so many different kinds of roles and opportunities.”
- “If you’re unsure about finding a job in manufacturing, attending the virtual career fair is a great option to meet with companies to see what they have to offer, even if you think this industry isn’t something that you would normally consider,” added Barkdoll.
Advice to manufacturers: Fields encourages other employers to connect with the Heroes MAKE America program and see everything that a veteran brings to the table.
- “Some of us may not have hands-on experience for the position you’re trying to fill, but we’re trainable,” said Fields. “So ask yourself: Can I train up for this position?”
The last word: “Take a chance on a veteran,” said Fields. “You’ll get a great employee out of it.”
Women MAKE Announces Toyota’s Susan Elkington as New Chair
Washington, D.C. – The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, proudly announces the selection of Susan Elkington, senior vice president of electric vehicle supply at Toyota Motor North America, as the new chair of the Women MAKE Awards initiative. Elkington succeeds Denise Johnson, group president of resource industries at Caterpillar, who has led the initiative with distinction.
As the incoming chair, Elkington will guide the Women MAKE Awards program in its mission to celebrate and elevate the women who are shaping the future of manufacturing in an effort to have their example pave the way for the next generation to join the sector. Elkington, a previous Women MAKE Awards Honoree, brings a wealth of experience and a passion for empowering women in the industry.
“Women are essential to the future of manufacturing, and it is an honor to lead the Women MAKE initiative at such a pivotal time,” said Elkington. “I know firsthand the impact this recognition can have in motivating and mentoring the next generation of female leaders. I am committed to continuing the work of highlighting the incredible contributions women are making across the industry and inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.”
Under Elkington’s leadership, the Women MAKE Awards will continue to be an essential element in the MI’s 35×30 initiative, which aims to increase the percentage of women in manufacturing to 35% by 2030. This effort is vital to closing the gender gap in manufacturing, where women currently represent less than one-third of the workforce.
“With nearly 500,000 open jobs in manufacturing today, it’s essential that we bring more women into manufacturing roles, and the WMA has played a key role in engaging and uplifting women within the sector today to serve as the role models for the women of tomorrow. Through this initiative, we’ve done so much to change the perception of the industry to highlight the vast array of careers available and provide pathways and mentorships to drive future success,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee.
The MI is excited to welcome Elkington as the new chair of the Women MAKE Awards and looks forward to the continued growth and success of the program under her leadership.
– The Manufacturing Institute –
The Manufacturing Institute builds a resilient manufacturing workforce prepared for the challenges and opportunities of the future. Through implementing groundbreaking programs, convening industry leaders and conducting innovative research, the MI furthers individual opportunity, community prosperity and a more competitive manufacturing industry. As the 501(c)3 nonprofit workforce development and education affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, the MI is a trusted adviser to manufacturers, equipping them with solutions to address the toughest workforce issues. For more information on the MI, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.
Heroes MAKE America Draws a Crowd
Nearly 100 veterans attended a manufacturing career fair at Fort Riley, Kansas, last week, including many who had prepared for their new careers via the Heroes MAKE America program (Kansas Biz News).
What’s going on: “The career fair and other events held by Heroes MAKE America and Manufacturing Institute [the NAM’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate] aim to grow the manufacturing industry’s workers for the advancement of modern manufacturing and offer programs, including informational sessions, career fairs, networking, career readiness, placement support and manufacturing tours.”
- More than 30 regional and national manufacturers had booths at the event.
How it helps: HMA—an MI program with a 90% graduate placement rate—offers career help to job seekers transitioning out of the military and into the civilian workforce. The aid is in the form of training and introductions to manufacturing leaders seeking employees.
- One military member who attended the fair said “she’s received help with resume writing, interviewing for jobs and how to translate military experience into tools you can use in the civilian world.”
- HMA, which hosts virtual career fairs throughout the year, also offers resources to employers. These include online training, courses and access to the research of the Society of Human Resource Management Foundation.
Why it’s important: The industry could create about 3.8 million new manufacturing jobs on net between this year and 2033, according to a new study by Deloitte and the MI.
- However, if the current manufacturing employee deficit is not shored up, approximately half of these jobs—or 1.9 million—could go unfilled.
What’s next: Interested employers can participate in an information session to be held later this month, where they can learn more about attracting, hiring and retaining military talent through upcoming career fairs and virtual hiring events.
The last word: “Members of the military community often possess valuable skills and qualities—such as discipline, teamwork, leadership and problem-solving abilities—that are in demand for manufacturing careers,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee.
- “That’s why manufacturers are increasingly connecting with this top talent through an array of resources provided by the MI’s Heroes MAKE America initiative.”
In Search for Workers, One Manufacturer Pulls Out the Stops
Marvin, a window and door manufacturer based in Warroad, Minnesota, is looking thousands of miles south to fill job openings (The Wall Street Journal, subscription).
What’s going on: Marvin employs about 700 people at its Warroad location. With older-generation workers retiring at the rate of about one employee a week and a town population that hasn’t grown in decades, the company “came up with a recruitment plan called ‘The Path North,’ which aims to find workers in Puerto Rico and Florida willing to uproot their families and settle in a cold northern town”—but it’s proving a difficult sell, even with generous relocation bonuses and temporary housing.
- Unemployment in Puerto Rico and Florida is low, so Marvin is fishing for talent in relatively sparsely populated ponds.
- Of the 115 workers who came from Puerto Rico in the past eight or nine months, just 63 remain at the company.
- Marvin has 10 other locations throughout North America.
Why it’s important: Marvin’s challenge is emblematic of “manufacturing in America today. The U.S. population is barely growing, baby boomers are exiting the workforce,” many young people are unaware of the many advantages of working in manufacturing and “[t]here is little political will for lasting immigration reform that could fill workforce gaps.”
- If current trends continue, the U.S. will have 2.1 million open manufacturing positions by 2030, according to a joint study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate.
Well worth it: Still, for those who come to Marvin, the rewards are significant.
- The company helps employees find permanent housing and is even an investor in a local apartment complex.
- There is job security, too. When orders slowed at one of its factories a few years ago, the company offered cash bonuses to employees willing to relocate to Warroad.
- Marvin has also helped Warroad schools hire Spanish-language translators to assist the children of new hires.
The final say: “Tapping into new talent pools is especially critical in rural areas, whether it’s done via relocation support, engaging second chance populations or participating in initiatives such as the Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America program, which is building connections between the military community and the manufacturing industry by bringing in new workers,” said MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “We need to engage all talent pools to fill the 500,000 jobs in manufacturing today.”
The MI Honors 2024 Women MAKE Award Winners
The Manufacturing Institute—the NAM’s 501(c)(3) workforce development and education affiliate—had ample reason to celebrate last night.
What went on: The MI held the 2024 Women MAKE Awards gala, a night that recognizes outstanding women in manufacturing. Each year, the awards pay special tribute to 100 peer-nominated women leaders (“Honorees”) and 30 rising female stars (“Emerging Leaders,” women under the age of 30) in the industry.
- The event, held this year at The Anthem—a waterfront concert venue in Washington, D.C.—was sponsored by Caterpillar, Toyota, BASF, Trane Technologies, International Paper, Johnson & Johnson, Novelis and others.
- It featured a vocal performance by singer Loren Allred, platinum-selling singer-songwriter of “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman” musical, who gained widespread fame after appearing on “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2022.
What was said: Caterpillar Group President of Resource Industries, NAM Executive Committee Member and Women MAKE Awards Chair Denise Johnson told the night’s award winners that she’s been “the only woman in a room, or the only woman on a project” many times in her career.
- But “[l]ooking around this theater and seeing the faces of the Honorees and Emerging Leaders tells me that times are changing.”
- She then addressed the honorees directly, saying, “Your success, your work ethic and your stories will inspire the next generation of manufacturing leaders. … You are moving us along toward a future when women are not underrepresented in our industry.”
From Honoree to Vice Chair: Toyota Motor North America Senior Vice President, Electric Vehicle Supply Susan Elkington—a 2014 Honoree of the awards, formerly called the STEP Ahead Awards—was this year’s awards vice chair. She attested to the power of the awards to help women advance in their careers.
- “[T]he Women MAKE network … helped me realize the many qualities and experiences uniting all the women who have been inducted into this amazing network.”
- She noted the cruciality of the MI’s Women MAKE initiative, which “provides a platform for role models and mentors to encourage women to enter the field and succeed in it.”
No limits: NAM President and CEO and MI Chairman of the Board Jay Timmons also discussed the importance of role models, a label aptly applied to all the award nominees.
- Timmons, a parent of three, told the audience that he and his children recently learned the story of 30-year-old Cole Brauer, who last month made history as the first American woman to sail solo nonstop around the world.
- Brauer’s story “sends a message to those—frankly, women or men—who might have been led to believe there were limits to what they could achieve or that their careers might be confined within guardrails,” he said. “Your examples are inspiring people in a similar way. You are powerhouses—your dynamism, your drive, your enthusiasm—all these qualities supercharge modern manufacturing, making our industry an even more powerful force for good.”
“Amazing things”: MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee called the nominated women “powerhouses who have accomplished amazing things.”
- “You deserve this recognition for your excellence and for everything you do to uplift others,” Lee told the award nominees. “But we’re not just celebrating. Being here to recognize these winners is shining a light and fueling the work to close the gender and talent gap in manufacturing.”
- Women account for less than one-third of the American manufacturing workforce, she went on, but endeavors such as the MI’s Women MAKE America initiative—the nation’s premier program dedicated to closing the gender gap in the sector—“and companies like yours are committed to closing that gap.”
Learn more: For a full list of this year’s award winners, click here.
From Mentee to Mentor: Rockwell Automation’s Aaliyah Brown
To hear Aaliyah Brown tell it, the start of her career in manufacturing was the result of a happy accident.
“My interest in manufacturing actually started accidentally,” the Rockwell Automation quality engineering team lead said with a laugh. “I was hired as a high school intern [at age 16]. I had a lot of different positions within my role, from [learning] how our different products are utilized in the field, to project management, to printed circuit board design. That’s when I really started to dip my toe into manufacturing.”
A quick ascent: After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering technology from Cleveland State University in 2019, Brown—who works at Rockwell Automation’s Twinsburg, Ohio, location—was hired full time by the automation and digital transformation technologies company as a process engineer.
- Three years later, she was made a quality engineer. Just a year after that, she was promoted to quality team lead.
- Her meteoric rise is one of the reasons her colleagues nominated her for this year’s Women MAKE Awards, honors given annually by the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s 501(c)(3) workforce development and education affiliate, to women in manufacturing who have accomplished remarkable successes at their companies.
The elevator speech: Her day-to-day job may be complex, but for the layperson, Brown can break down her duties in just a few sentences.
- “Manufacturing quality can be explained as anything that goes wrong within a manufacturing facility,” she said. “My team has to figure out why it happened and how to fix it to make sure it does not happen again.”
Paying it forward: Brown credits a great deal of her early professional success to mentor and colleague Marzell Brown (“no relation whatsoever”), a talent management lead at Rockwell Automation.
- Like Brown, Marzell Brown is a graduate of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Years ago, seeing a lack of programs in the greater Cleveland area designed to expose youth from traditionally underrepresented communities to science, technology, engineering and math careers, he helped found Brown’s alma mater, Cleveland’s MC2 STEM High School. Later, he spearheaded the internship program at Rockwell Automation’s business engineering unit that Brown completed.
- “Before I started going to summer camp at a private school, I had no idea what an engineer was,” Brown continued. “No engineers were in my family at the time. I was in the second graduating class of MC2 and about, I think, the seventh cohort of students Marzell brought in.”
- Inspired by her own experiences, in 2017—while still in college—Brown founded the nonprofit Build Sessions CLE, a mentorship initiative for college-bound STEM students from underrepresented communities.
- “All of the wonderful things that Marzell did for me and others like me, all of those best practices, those are what I brought over” to my job and to Build Sessions CLE, she said.
Changing perceptions: Brown—who helps lead Rockwell Automation’s annual Manufacturing Day events—believes that if more young people knew what modern manufacturing was really like, they would be much more inclined to enter the field.
- “I want to reach back … into these high schools, to provide these students with the great opportunities [I had] and show them that, yes, you can be successful here, and manufacturing facilities aren’t dirty and dingy,” she said.
Calling all women: She knows, too, the importance of shoring up the percentage of women in manufacturing in the U.S., which is around 30%.
- And there’s encouraging news on that front from the Rockwell Automation internship program that launched Brown’s career: If current trends continue, the number of women coming into the company from that program is going to rise, she told us.
- “[To all the] young ladies who don’t know exactly what they want to do, but have interests—say, sewing or project management or just wanting to help people— there are ways to be able to use all of those” talents in manufacturing, Brown said. “And you can have a very lucrative career here.”
“Why Inclusion Matters”: GM’s Stephanie Thompson on STEM, Women in Manufacturing
Stephanie Thompson may not have always intended to go into manufacturing, but she’s very glad she did.
The path taken: “You don’t necessarily plan your journey, but sometimes you can look back and see how those paths presented themselves,” and you’re thankful they did, said the engineering manager at General Motors’ facility just outside St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
- “My career in manufacturing started in internships in university. I worked for a food manufacturer, for a company that made above-ground swimming pools … It was a great chance to try out different businesses, and I [realized that I] love the buzz and excitement that manufacturing has.”
Award nominee: Thompson is a 2024 Honoree of the Women MAKE Awards, honors given annually to 130 women making a difference in manufacturing by the Manufacturing Institute, the NAM’s 501(c)3 workforce development and education affiliate.
- Thompson—who started working for GM full time right after university and has held multiple positions in her 23 years there—was the first woman to become an engineering manager in her time at her site.
- Women MAKE Award winners will be celebrated April 18 at the 2024 Women MAKE Awards Gala in Washington, D.C.
Always improving: An Ottawa native and graduate of the University of Waterloo, Thompson sums up her very complex job as “a manufacturing assembly specialist [who] makes sure people can do their jobs safely—and do it over and over again.”
- She oversees the assembly of whole powertrain lines. For one particular engine, “I was there for the first one made, and I was here for the last—we made over 5 million,” she said of a recently retired line.
- “We are always looking to make improvements, to make things more cost effective, to make things simpler,” she said. “The problem-solver part of me really enjoys making those incremental differences every day. [In manufacturing,] you get that sense of satisfaction from making stuff and ultimately giving a customer what they want.”
Women in STEM: Thompson, who has been recognized several times in her native Can
ada for her commitment to women’s education in science, technology, engineering and math, somehow found the time a few years ago to launch STEMbySteph.com, a STEM-focused website that includes a workshop series for women in the fields.
- She is also a mentor for FIRST Canada, which aims to interest kids in science and technology, and a regular speaker on related topics.
- “There are so many great women coming up through the ranks” in manufacturing today, she told us. “I want them to know there isn’t a limit to what they can do. I want to put myself out there as a technical role model, so women who apply [for manufacturing and STEM jobs] see themselves on the interview panel. They should know there’s a space for them in manufacturing.”
Work in progress: And while she’s had “nothing but great experiences with the men in manufacturing,” Thompson said the industry as a whole could benefit from “having some conversations” to make sure women feel welcome.
- “I don’t think it’s malicious,” she said, of the relatively low number of women in manufacturing (they make up about 30% of the
manufacturing workforce). “But one of the things you have to do as a leader is create intentionality and create environments where conflict is positive, where you can all create ideas to [fix] the problem and where individuals feel safe being themselves.”