NewHavenBIZ

16 n e w h a v e n B I Z | M a r c h 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m companies are frustrated by gaps in training for candidates. Open collaboration with local schools and training programs have been successful for savvy companies looking to find skilled talent. "It's really easy to sit in your shop and complain that there are workforce issues, but it's really up to us as manufacturers and the end-user of all these products [to focus on] workforce development," said Charles Daniels, chief financial officer of Middlefield-based plastic molds manufacturer Wepco Plastics. Wepco has spent the past several years building a pipeline of talent from local K-12 schools. e company offers student tours and mentoring opportunities, externship programs for teachers and school counselors, and advises on curriculum needs. e company has added four new employees in the past two months and has two open positions, he added. "It's really important for us to be a part of the process and to let people into our doors and see what we do on a day-to-day basis," Daniels said, adding that Wepco currently has three employees who came from local high schools they've partnered with. Internal and external leads With roughly 260 employees in Bethany, Laticrete International Inc. has gotten creative with its approach to finding new talent, including leaning on existing workers for leads. "at helps us a good deal with the lower-level positions in our plant," said Kim Giagrande, vice president of human resources at the green flooring and facade materials manufacturer. Laticrete offers a variety of payouts for referrals that become new hires. Aer four months of employment, the By Jordan Grice A rea manufacturers say they are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding talent to run their companies. As Connecticut's manufacturing workforce shoulders the strain of an ongoing retirement wave and lagging output of newly-trained job candidates, some employers say they've had to get creative to track down new hires. "Try anything and everything is my motto because it really depends on the position," said Jill Mayer, CEO of Milford-based Bead Industries, a global manufacturer of electronic contact pins and supplier of bead chains. From utilizing temp agencies and recruiters to leveraging relationships with local schools and training programs, manufacturers along with various state actors are focused on addressing Connecticut's ongoing demand for skilled labor. Being flexible and prepared to adapt to the ebb and flow of different hiring methods is a critical component for manufacturers looking to hire people, according to Mayer, who is also president of Manufacture CT — formerly the New Haven Manufacturers Association. e organization is one of several regional industry groups offering resources and advocacy to local manufacturing companies. "ere is no one size fits all, and I get the sense that companies are looking for [that] and you just have to try different things," Mayer said. Companies should manage expectations as they look to replace workers retiring from long-standing careers. "You're not going to get someone you can just plug and play," she continued. "We are coming off a generation that stayed in jobs for 20 to 40 years, and we are hiring people that don't stay that long. I feel like people are hiring for life because that's what they used to hire for and they need to hire for now and evolve." Mayer said Bead Industries has revamped outdated job descriptions for positions vacated by retirees, in some cases shiing certain responsibilities to make it easier to find new hires, and implemented growth development plans for workers so they have a better path toward advancement and higher compensation. "It's allowed us to incentivize people to grow, and it's helped prepare us for retirements," she said. Leveraging schools It should come as no surprise that the future of the state's manufacturing workforce resides in classrooms throughout Connecticut, but some Amid worker shortage, manufacturers think outside the box to lure new hires Finding Talent Charles Daniels (shown in photos to the left and right) is the CFO of Wepco Plastics, a Middlefield-based plastic molds manufacturer. Daniels said he has spent the past several years building a pipeline of talent from local K-12 schools. PHOTO COURTESY OF WEPCO PLASTICS Kelli-Marie Vallieres (right) is the executive director of the state's Office of Workforce Strategy and co-chair of the Governor's Workforce Council. Seated to her left is Cindi Bigelow, also a workforce council member and CEO of Bigelow Tea.

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