The skills gap is an issue that has haunted the manufacturing industry with increasing urgency for many years. As skilled machinists and engineers retire, companies are finding it difficult to find viable candidates to replace them. As an employee-owned company, we at Lampin are deeply invested in combatting the skills gap problem with working solutions.
Partnering with Community Leaders to Create A Solution
Lampin has been actively involved in local education initiatives aimed at encouraging students to pursue trade skills for several years. We have hosted tours of our machine shop, attended local school career fairs, and even hired student-employees from trade schools in the area to give them the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience before entering the workforce.
As part of our continued commitment to building the future of manufacturing from within our community, we recently partnered with the Blackston Valley Education Hub (BV Ed Hub) to help jumpstart their manufacturing mentorship program. Although it is still in its formative stages, the organizers and the employee-owners at Lampin have high hopes for what the partnership will be able to accomplish.
Lampin Machinists Donate Their Time to Mentor Manufacturing Students
The goal of the BV Ed Hub is to provide adult students at any stage in their life with the opportunity to learn advanced manufacturing trade skills “with an emphasis on machine tools, CNC machine control, 3D printing and more.”
The program is volunteer-based, so some of our employee-owners have opted to make themselves available on a daily basis to act as mentors to the enrolled students. Mentors provide each student with professional advice on all aspects of the industry including interviews, networking, and how to build a successful resume, as well as machining skills.
Since the program is still in its early stages, the first round of students are Grafton Jobs Corp enrollees who are learning machining skills. Currently, their ages range from 16 to 24. The BV Ed Hub aims to widen the age range to older adult students who are seeking to change careers or increase their mobility within the industry by learning new skillsets. People who graduate from the mentorship program will be ready to join the manufacturing workforce in entry-level positions. Lampin is proud to support the program now, at its inception, with the goal of helping it grow and allowing it to help more employees and manufacturers alike.
“Programs like this are valuable to ensuring the successful future of the company, and truthfully, it’s not that much of an inconvenience to help someone who needs guidance. The discussions I have with the students tend to be a lot like the conversations I have with my own kids,” said Lampin Engineering Manager, Rick Caponi.
The Ed Hub mentorship program is still growing. It needs experienced mentors, access to equipment and other resources to help grow the initiative. If you or someone you know is interested in supporting the program, visit the Blackstone Valley Education Hub home page to learn more.
