AWFS is launching a campaign entitled, “Meet the New Face of Manufacturing,” an endeavor to dispel outdated myths about jobs in manufacturing and attract more young people to the industry. The roll-out of the campaign is a 4-color poster with an edgy flair, showcasing young industry professionals who represent various careers in wood manufacturing. The poster is being offered free to career counselors, teachers, administrators and legislators. AWFS also hopes to inform parents about the realities of jobs in 21rst century manufacturing, towards increasing the number of students who consider manufacturing as a viable career and impacting the number of individuals coming into the workforce. The poster has a QR code that links to the education page of the AWFS web site which lists substantial resources for students, teachers and counselors, and shares the variety of education programs in which AWFS is involved. To view the link, click here. Articles with the poster offer have been published in the trade press media and are currently being sent to school and administrator data base lists. Ads will run later in the fall in career counselor publications.
It is time for the woodworking industry to “make some noise” and market itself to students as we push back against a mindset that assumes all kids go to a 4-year college or that hands-on classes such as woodworking are not relevant in today’s world; or that someone who goes to college won’t or shouldn’t consider manufacturing in their career options. AWFS is intent on profiling what 21rst century manufacturing really looks like and ensuring that students, parents and school personnel are made aware of the career potential in wood products manufacturing. For more information, or to request a poster (you can hang one in your HR Department!), contact nancy@awfs.org.
If you have a young individual in your company that you think matches the profile of the “New Faces” campaign, feel free to submit images to us for consideration for the campaign as we intend to continue reaching out to various media sources through the 2015 trade show. For information or to request a free poster, contact nancy@awfs.org.