Any successful economic overhaul will require retooling the labor that supports manufacturing. For the nation as a whole, this means quickly examining the many related issues that have surrounded the decline of manufacturing in this country. While there has been an increasing number of jobs lost across this sector over the past many years, at the same time there has been an ever-growing shortage of skills and qualified workers to do the required work. These shortages have occurred as a result of many things, such as the aging American workforce, the influx of immigrant workers, and the development of new technology that requires new and different skills and higher levels of occupations and learning. Revamping the workforce skills that support U.S. manufacturing is a crucial first step on the road to recovery, and that is the message human capital professionals absolutely need to broadcast.

Like it or not, manufacturing and production will define the economic success of countless communities. For this important reason, now is the time for human capital professionals to use their knowledge and innovation to support the building of a more competitive manufacturing workforce. All human capital professionals, including recruiters, trainers, and workforce planning, hiring, and retention personnel, can make a difference by participating at ground level, first by gaining knowledge and information about the skills and occupations needed in manufacturing, then by sharing that knowledge and information in a broader context.

Developing a basic understanding of manufacturing can play a small but critical part in bringing in the skills, talent, and people to rebuild the local manufacturing base. Among their peers and within the various workforce populations they serve, human capital professionals can convey just how critical manufacturing is to their local community. For example, as part of their ongoing professional development, they can spearhead a community or office campaign that is designed to heighten awareness of the important role manufacturing has in the immediate and the long-term economic success and future of the community. Or they can share little-known facts about manufacturing with their key stakeholders, including, for instance, that two of the top core skills in manufacturing today are speaking and operations monitoring.

To be successful, human capital professionals must start thinking critically about how to gain an up-to-date understanding of the rapidly changing manufacturing environment and how they can share this manufacturing-related workplace information with others. Given the extraordinary number of people who will be interviewed by hiring, recruiting, training, outplacement, and other human resource specialists in the weeks and months ahead, this is the time to talk about the skills that drive production. All human capital professionals should be ready to link this information to the concept of skills transferability and career shifts because there will be countless opportunities to take advantage of new innovation that is occurring in manufacturing. Across the country, as cities, counties, and states seek ways to spend their portion of the stimulus package, human capital professionals should encourage candidates to expand their professional horizons, experiences, and resumes by donating time to a local manufacturer or investigating positions within a manufacturing company.

Kevin L. Kearns, president of The U.S. Business and Industry Council, believes that the United States can generate growth at home "only by meeting the needs of our citizens with domestically made products." The stimulus package initially supports that philosophy by requiring an expansion of U.S.-made goods, but the country needs to go beyond that. Fortifying our economic and production base means building an environmentally sound, energy-efficient, advanced manufacturing sector that uses cutting-edge and innovative materials and processes, including the development of green technologies.

Meeting that goal will be a tremendous challenge, one that will rely on business and political leaders, educators, and government officials, as well as human capital professionals, to infuse communities with the people, skills, and talents needed to support local manufacturers, enabling them to compete in the global market. It is imperative that these new economic incentives be used to fortify and support advanced manufacturing in a variety of ways because it will take people from all walks of life and professions to make the stimulus work.

To be a part of this national effort to rebuild our production sector, human capital professionals must learn more about advanced manufacturing, even if it is not their core niche. This includes understanding why it is increasingly becoming a knowledge-driven workplace. It means realizing that the new competitive advantages in manufacturing are speed to market, flexibility in responding to customer demands, mass customization, the production of higher-quality goods, and access to real-time operating information that allows immediate improvements in efficiency and production. All of these elements are part of the continual shift toward advanced manufacturing, which calls for high-tech enterprises that can successfully implement process improvements and quality controls, including, for example, the installation of intelligent production systems and advanced robotics.

When human capital professionals begin to realize why and how manufacturing has evolved over the years and where it is going, they can better explore ways to help local manufacturers fill their workforce needs. It starts by learning about the various skills and occupations that are needed today, as well as those that will be needed in the future to keep local production alive and moving forward.

By taking part in community initiatives and working with organizations that will have access to stimulus funding, such as schools and colleges, faith-based organizations, professional organizations and manufacturing extension programs, libraries, and training centers, human capital professionals can keep the topic of advanced manufacturing in the forefront as discussions turn toward how to use new federal funding.

The bottom line is that if the federal stimulus plan is to work and the nation is to pull itself out of recession, the country needs to strategically build and upgrade its manufacturing skills. The lack of knowledge and understanding of the role advanced manufacturing plays in the world economy, particularly in the United States vis-à-vis its broad skill shortages, will continue to affect our communities. It is time for human capital professionals to explore and study the core geo-skills and occupations that support local manufacturing so they can help encourage new interest, develop new talent, and put the nation back to work in a renewed industry.

To learn more about core manufacturing skills and occupations for any community in the United States, visit www.GeoWorkforce.com.

Article by, Theresa Clary and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional