Making the Future

BY JOHN GOODEN AND RUSTYN STOOPS

WHEN YOU THINK OF MANFACTURING, what’s the first thought that comes to mind? For some, it’s probably dirty facilities that are dimly lit and old-school assembly lines. However, the reality is this couldn’t be further from the truth. Manufacturing is not what it used to be and hasn’t been for a long time.

Manufacturers offer employees some of the safest and cleanest work environments and this couldn’t have been more visible than throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, manufacturers played a vital role in supporting our communities from making personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensuring families could put food on the table. The need for the products and services manufacturers offer has and continues to grow substantially, resulting in labor shortages.

Today, you don’t have to look far to find help wanted signs. Manufacturers, like many others, are struggling to find talent. According to the Manufacturing Institute, manufacturers will need to fill an estimated 4 million jobs between now and the end of the decade. But as the saying goes, if you build it, they’ll come. The foundation has been constructed, and Delaware is once again a manufacturing destination.

Despite misconceptions, manufacturing careers offer good jobs and wages. The sector employs more than 27,000 Delawareans, offering an average annual compensation of $77,000. Manufacturers are not only making the future, their providing a future for Delawareans and their families—and the Delaware Manufacturing Association (DMA) serves to support them.

The DMA brings manufacturers together to discuss their challenges— such as talent shortages—and find innovative solutions. The group strives to enhance the competitiveness of Delaware manufacturers, serves as an advocate to manufacturers at the state and local government level, and advises the State Chamber on topics that are important to the sector.

This past year was a busy and exciting year for the DMA. The group held its annual Spring Manufacturing and Policy Conference on March 24 virtually. The event explored conversations around talent and featured Carolyn Lee, executive director of the Manufacturing Institute, and Governor Carney who has prioritized retraining Delaware’s workforce through efforts such as allocating CARES Act funds to establish Forward Delaware—a rapid workforce training and development program designed to upskill Delaware’s workforce.

Similarly, with the DMA’s support and guidance, the State Chamber supported the passing of several pieces of key legislation in 2021, including the Focus on Alternative Skills Training Act, Student Excellence Equals Degree Act, and Elevate Delaware, all of which prioritize workforce development and skills training. These bills go a long way in moving Delawareans, who may have been underemployed or misplaced by the pandemic, into meaningful careers such as manufacturing.

In 2022, the future of manufacturing could not be more exciting. The DMA looks forward to continuing to work with our national partner, the National Association of Manufacturers, to help industry grow and support the needs of manufacturers so they can continue “making” the future.