The image of manufacturing remains an obstacle, with general public misconceptions about safety, cleanliness and sophistication of operations. But students also cannot see a clear career path. All of those CPG and OEMs interviewed for this report agreed the industry has to work to change this perception.
Some CPGs report poor retention rates from interns, and feeling sometimes that people come for training, then leave for greener pastures with your company knowledge at work for them.
Language barriers remain, but more training materials are being offered in Spanish, for instance.
CPGs are engaging millennials, with special teams which provide input on a large variety of operations issues, including best approaches for recognizing and rewarding all employees. In addition, some CPGs reported a rise in mentorship programs between senior staff and millenniums.
CPGs are realizing not all people learn the same way, and are trying to match tools with audience. There is also a greater focus on training operators to become better trainers themselves so they can transfer knowledge more effectively.
Source: PMMI Business Intelligence, Top to Top Summit 2017 Report. The entire Top To Top report is available from PMMI here.
