27/05/2006
APICS
Jeffrey Owens, President, Advanced Technology Services, Inc. (ATS)
As manufacturers struggle to fill current and pending positions requiring skilled labor, they'd do well to consider an often overlooked source of talented and able employees: the U.S. military. With baby boomers retiring, federal forecasters predict that approximately 40 percent of the skilled labor force will retire. Couple that with a loss of apprenticeship programs and the skills demand that comes from the increasingly sophisticated technology found in the plant, the shortfall in skilled factory workers has many manufacturers girding for a crisis.
Consider that there are 1.4 million men and women on active duty in the armed services today. Almost all of them will be part of tomorrow's workforce. Their leading attributes include organizational skills, leadership ability, an excellent work ethic, integrity, and the ability to operate well under stress. Drill down further, and you'll find thousands with skills that apply to everyday manufacturing.
More than 16,000 former military are streaming into the workforce each month. Eleven percent of former military qualify immediately as electricians and IT technicians. Up to 15 percent possess the elite skills required to qualify to perform maintenance on plant equipment. And the 12 percent holding combat specialty training provide a valuable source of leadership.
The military skill set makes a good match, not only technically, but culturally, for companies. The former military personnel may not yet hold the exact skills required to perform production machine maintenance at the moment, but they are professional and motivated to meet the technical demands required in a manufacturing environment.
Examples of this motivation and self-reliance abound in the military. A good illustration can be seen aboard naval ships. Typically these ships are out at sea for extended periods of time, which means they need to be self-sustained and maintained from stern to bow by those living on them. Given the level of self-reliance required, it's no wonder that companies involved in maintaining manufacturing assets would benefit from these skill sets.
In addition, the military workforce is traditionally mobile and willing to relocate, making them even more valuable to a fast-paced business environment. However, the transition to the civilian sector poses new challenges for veterans that they likely never have faced. Employers can assist veterans to make this life change easier by providing veteran-friendly information. Newly transitioned service members have worn a uniform their whole career, had free health care, and never spent a dime to relocate. Making the extra effort to help them understand the differences between the military and civilian sectors pays off in the long term with improved retention rates and happier employees.
From a management standpoint, junior military officers (JMOs), 27 to 32 years old, are a sought after group because of their intellectual and leadership skills. In a report prepared by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, an average 13,000 of these JMOs transition out of or separate from the service yearly. Add this to an additional 23 million veterans living in the United States today-from reservists to retirees-the U.S. military provides a powerful labor resource for a manufacturing industry in need.