The Industry Digest: Why big tech workers should consider a career in manufacturing
The internet is a vast space that is filled with rabbit holes, endless search results, and adorable cat videos that will consume your entire day in a flash. Finding the information and insights you need to improve productivity and efficiency at your facility can be daunting. Luckily, Plant Services is here to help. We search the web and curate the industry perspectives, trends, and topics that will affect you and your industry. Here are a few of our favorite stories from this week.
Laid Off From Tech? Try Manufacturing Next [Machine Design]
As more and more big tech companies announce layoffs and other cost-cutting measures, these dissatisfied or newly unemployed workers might want to consider a lucrative career in manufacturing. The manufacturing industry is always looking to expand its workforce, and a talent pool that is intimately familiar with digital environments would be an asset to the industry.
Here’s How Manufacturing Can Stop Missing The Potential Of Half The Population [Forbes]
In this article, Ethan Karp, President and CEO of the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), interviews two women who are experienced leaders within the manufacturing sector. Carla Macklin founded two healthcare manufacturing firms and currently runs a health-tech company. Sara Ann MacKinlay is the president of a surgical device maker.
Manufacturing Industries That Employ The Most Women [Get It Made]
It is well documented that the manufacturing industry is facing a skills gap, but the key to solving that problem might be to close the gender gap. Despite women being underrepresented in the wider sector, there are manufacturing industries and companies that are actively working to attract and retain women in their workforce. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2021 Current Population Survey, Get it Made compiled a list of manufacturing verticals that employ the most women.
The 8 Adaptive Skills That Can Secure Manufacturing’s Future [Forbes]
Looking for new initiatives to close the skills gap is always top of mind for manufacturing executives. Many agree that addressing the workforce shortage through the lens of adaptive skills will be essential to building a strong manufacturing sector. This article highlights eight adaptive skills likely to be at the heart of tomorrow’s workforce.
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn
