Opportunity Available—No Experience Needed

Why you should give a career in manufacturing another look

BY ZACH KUEHNE

IT’S A TALE UBIQUITOUS TO OUR TIMES. Increasing numbers of students are completing their studies in colleges and universities across Delaware, burdened by overwhelming student debt and lacking substantial on-the-job experience. Unfortunately, many postgraduates struggle to secure employment as many “entry-level” corporate roles require three-to-five years of relevant experience. For those fortunate enough to receive job offers, the accompanying salaries are often not enough to make ends meet.

But what if I told you Delaware manufacturing offers a different path?

Instead of taking on loans to pay for tuition and books while learning abstract theories and reviewing case studies, you can be paid to work alongside and learn from the top professionals in your chosen field. At the end of four years, instead of graduating with debt and no real-world experience, you’ll have earned up to $300,000 and gained years of lessons learned, successes, and “we’re never trying that again” stories to share with future employers.

Plus, once you start a career in manufacturing, the growth never stops.

Manufacturing offers new opportunities to hone your skills, gain experience, try new ideas, and earn promotions. Take Kuehne Company’s plant manager as an example. He started at the company over 20 years ago in 1991 as an operator. Since then, he has worked his way up the ranks and now leads our entire Delaware facility.

It’s not just upward mobility. Manufacturing also provides avenues for cross-training new skills and technologies.

For those who obtained a degree, an industry traditionally seen as blue-collar provides a wealth of opportunity. From accountants that keep our books to engineers and chemists that provide laboratory testing and new product research and development, Kuehne and other Delaware manufacturers offer a myriad of opportunities that can utilize your unique skill-set and passions.

So, before you pick up that college application, or take out that student loan, take a closer look at the abundant opportunities that exist in manufacturing right here in Delaware and get paid to figure it out.

Zach Kuehne is president of Kuehne Company. For more information about Kuehne and open positions, visit www.kuehnecompany.com/careers.