Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1464750
M a n u f a c t u r i n g F or years, Samantha McLean wanted steadi- er work than construc- tion could offer. She liked work- ing with her hands, but her stints hanging sheetrock, painting, and cleaning weren't always guaran- teed, and she longed for more consistent work that offered benefits and time off, and paid enough for her to support her two young kids. But anytime she began scrolling through online job boards like indeed.com, the process felt overwhelming. "I didn't know where to be- gin," she says. That all changed in 2020 when McLean took a five-week course on lean manufacturing at Northeast Technical Institute in Scarborough. On the day she graduated from the program, she interviewed for a job at Jotul North America, the Gorham- based woodstove maker, which was one of four manufacturers that paid for the course. At Jotul, she spent nine months working on the assembly line, doing tasks like building valves, and then was promoted and became a team leader. Makers' S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 / W O R K F O R M E 45 C O N T I N U E D O N F O L LO W I N G PAG E ยป Samantha McLean, a team leader at Jotul North America, the Gorham woodstove manufacturer, changed careers after taking a course in lean manufacturing techniques. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N W A Y By t h e n u m b e r s $6.3 billion in goods and services produced by Maine manufacturers in Maine each year. About 10% of Maine's gross domestic product or GDP produced by the state's manufacturing sector 56,700 manufacturing jobs in Maine $62,300 is the average sal- ary for a manufacturing job in Maine, 24% higher than the state average S O U RC E : Manufacturers Association of Maine Employers, schools and agencies are collaborating to train Maine's future manufacturing workforce B Y J E N N I F E R V A N A L L E N SPACE