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n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | A p r i l 2 0 2 3 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 13 NSB Q-Tran 10x6.75.indd 1 NSB Q-Tran 10x6.75.indd 1 3/28/23 3:23 PM 3/28/23 3:23 PM companies. Lavoie's office plans a statewide conference in September on bringing more women into manufacturing, in partnership with CONN- STEP and the Connecticut chapter of the Women in Manufacturing Association. High- lighting role models in the industry is a major focus of recruitment efforts, he said. "We make sure that we stand up all of the women leaders that we have in the state when we're looking at engag- ing people in career opportunities," Lavoie said. "ere's a tremendous op- portunity for us to engage with young girls and women to get them excited about careers in manufacturing." Far from an abstract attempt at equity, recruitment of women and girls is a must to keep Connecticut's factories humming, Lavoie added. Even the smallest manufacturing companies can help in recruitment efforts, Carolyn Lee of the Manufac- turing Institute said. Start by opening your doors on National Manufactur- ing Day (Friday, Oct. 6) to visitors — and encourage school groups to visit your facility throughout the year. People outside the modern manu- facturing industry oen hold outdat- ed ideas about dirty, dangerous and strenuous jobs, Lee said, and may not know of the advanced technology and interesting work on offer at local factories. "ey're always surprised when they come in and see things," she said. Getting girls educated about and interested in manufacturing can happen as early as elementary school, Lee said, and she encouraged compa- nies to send employees out to speak in schools. "Your younger employees are your best ambassadors. … Having di- verse members of your teams be that forward face is really important," she added. Internships are also key, Lee said. "Students are always looking to earn some money in the summer. If you can do a paid internship, that's really important — it gives them exposure to skills, and then they can start developing their career plans with manufacturing in mind." Generous benefits At e Lee Company in Westbrook, the introduction of better benefits packages has helped attract women to the 1,100-person workforce — including the firm's announcement in January that it would pay 100% of employee health insurance premiums going forward. On the childcare front, e Lee Company offers subsidies and also schedules three shis in some product groups to allow for younger families to plan child care. "Overall we're very generous with our benefits package," Marietta Lee said. "It's a cultural change, making the workplace friendlier for everyone. It's definitely a cultural change and it takes a long time." Another big attractor to younger employees is the in-house training program, which allows the company to hire those without experience and train them on the job and also pro- mote from within for higher-skilled positions. "We've also been able to take people that have been here for a while and show potential and train them for higher-level jobs such as machinist or toolmaker," Lee said. "We've been very successful with that." As nearby manufacturers like Elec- tric Boat expand, e Lee Company has to work harder to attract high- ly-skilled workers, Lee said. "ere's competition for employees for sure right now," Lee said. "It's on all of us to do a better job to have a better work environment so that peo- ple want to come work for us." n Paul S. Lavoie T o p p e r k s C T m a n u f a c t u r e r s a r e o f f e r i n g t o a t t r a c t a n d r e t a i n w o r k e r s : Source: CBIA July-Sept. 2022 Connecticut manufacturing survey 21 % Flexible work schedules 17 % Flexible paid time off 15 % Tuition reimbursement 14 % Employee engagement and recognition programs 10 % Sign-on/retention bonuses 8 % Options for full or partial remote work 1 % Student loan assistance 1 % Childcare reimbursement

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