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W O R K F O R M E / S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 46 M a n u f a c t u r i n g "It's been a great experi- ence," says McLean, 39, from South Portland. McLean's career change and advancement are exactly the kind of moves that the state's 1,850 manufacturers are trying to help more people make. The labor shortage has bedev- iled the sector for years, and the pandemic only worsened mat- ters, says Lisa Martin, executive director for the Manufacturers Association of Maine, or MAME. Martin estimates that there are currently anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 job openings in the field due to attrition and retirement. To fill those gaps, MAME is working to create clear path- ways for job seekers, and a steady pipeline of potential workers for employers. With a program called Employee Growth Services, or EGS, the or- ganization is bringing together consultants, employers, staffing agencies, technical education centers, colleges, workforce centers, and state and federal agencies — which have typically worked independently like silos — to build a cohesive workforce development ecosystem, Martin says. They're working to iden- tify employers' needs, market their openings, and create new training opportunities so that job seekers can find work in the field, and build careers. MAME is particularly inter- ested in engaging job seekers who have historically been un- employed and underemployed, including people receiving pub- lic assistance, new Mainers, and those with disabilities. "We want to break down barriers on both sides of the equation." says Rachel Knight, founder and CEO of Destination Occupation, the workforce de- velopment arm of MAME, which works with the organization to market opportunities in the field. A wide array of jobs out there While centers for technical edu- cation and community colleges have traditionally been pipelines to manufacturing jobs, with the increase in openings, there are not enough graduates of these programs available to fill these positions, Martin says. In addi- tion to needing people to operate machines and perform specific technical tasks connected to pro- duction, manufacturers also need people to work in finance, sales and marketing, research and development, graphic de- sign, and other departments. A large part of MAME's ef- fort has to do with getting the word out about how many forms manufacturing work can take, how well the jobs pay, how much flexibility there is, and how many opportunities there are to get on-the-job training. The average salary for a manufac- turing job in Maine is $62,300, 24% higher than the average for all industries in Maine. Work-life balance "We need to introduce people to what 21st century advanced manufacturing looks like," says Alan Lapoint, president of Strainrite, a 42-year-old com- pany in Auburn that makes liq- uid filtration devices that are incorporated into beverages, pharmaceuticals, electronics and other products. "It offers a clean working environment, a flexible work schedule, and full benefits." The workforce shortage has restrained the company's growth, Lapoint says. With some 20 jobs unfilled, lead time for customer orders has doubled over the past year, to eight weeks. If the company could fill those positions and reduce lead time, it could increase market share by about 30%. While the company has his- torically paid at least $2 to $3 more per hour than minimum wage, over the past year Lapoint has added flexibility perks to recruit and retain staff. The plant is open 5 a.m. to 7 p.m, and now full-time employees can design their own 40-hour work weeks to meet their needs, as long as they schedule it ahead of time, and clock in and out. This gives workers the flexibility to do things like pick up kids at school and make doctor's appointments, without taking vacation time. "We want to create an envi- ronment where employees have work-life balance, and can take responsibility for making their own schedules," he says. Strainrite amped up its refer- ral programs paying employees who refer others one dollar for every hour that the new person works for two years. It also launched a bonus program that rewards workers who clock at least 500 hours in a quarter (which is equivalent to about a 40-hour work week over three months). To recruit job seekers to work at its Gorham plant, Jotul North P H O T O / T I M G R E E N W A Y We want to break down barriers on both sides of the equation. — Rachel Knight Destination Occupation « C O N T I N U E D F R O M P R E V I O U S PAG E Lisa Martin, executive director of the Manufacturers Association of Maine, says the trade group has been working feverishly to develop training programs

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