Podcast: Manufacturing careers straight out of high school: 1950s throwback or modern possibilities?
Key takeaways
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Internships at International Motors begin immediately after high school graduation, giving students hands-on experience in supply chain and general assembly operations.
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The three-week internship program, though short-term by design, has led to full-time employment for several participants based on performance and alignment with company values.
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Early exposure to manufacturing careers help interns enter the industry with confidence.
In this episode of Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast, we explore how one Texas truck plant is helping to solve a nationwide workforce disconnect. While manufacturers urgently need to replace retiring Baby Boomers, many Millennial and Gen Z workers remain unaware of the strong career opportunities available in today’s advanced factories. International Motors is partnering with greater:SATX to encourage high school students to intern at a new manufacturing facility in San Antonio, bridging the workforce gap and leading to full-time careers. Hear directly from recent graduates-turned-employees, along with plant leadership and mentors, as they share how this workforce pipeline is reshaping the narrative around manufacturing jobs for the next generation.
This episode was inspired by Industry Week’s recent article, “From Intern to Employee at International Motors.” Below is an excerpt from the original piece, which we explore further in this episode through anecdotes from students.
Cantu's Path from Intern to Employee:
"Ariella Cantu heard about the internship from a friend during her senior year. She was looking for work experience and funds to pursue college, so she took the initiative to go through the application process.
Cantu was apprehensive at first about working in manufacturing, 'but further along as I started to work here, I got more comfortable. I made some friends. I got used to my work. I was really good at my work … I didn’t really want to start into a job, but working here made me want to start the job.'
How Hands-On Experience Jump-Started Careers:
The internships began right after graduation. International manager and Supply Chain Business Team Leader Maria Delgado had the interns rotate between roles under her area of supervision, gauging where they would fit best.
International interns work in either supply chain/logistics or general assembly:
- Supply chain/logistics: The interns assist in kitting, inventory quality checks, shipping and receiving material into the dock. They may also operate equipment like pickers, tuggers and forklifts.
- General assembly: The interns use hand and torque tools on a production assembly line to build Class 6, 7 and 8 commercial trucks.
Only after the three-week program ended did Degollado and Cantu receive full-time job opportunities.
'It was just the three-week internship, and that was all that was promised,' Degollado says.
Seven of the original 30 International interns now have full-time roles at the company. Their alignment with the company’s core values of respect, responsibility, elimination of waste, team spirit and a customer-first attitude set them apart, the company says.
Cantu and Degollado are supply chain team members at the plant. Degollado works on the receiving dock as a forklift operator, and Cantu supports material flow in truck production.
'We were able to start working here full-time with almost no hard transitioning; it was just straight into the workforce,' says Degollado. 'It definitely gives us a jump start.'"
About the Podcast
Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast offers news and information for the people who make, store and move things and those who manage and maintain the facilities where that work gets done. Manufacturers from chemical producers to automakers to machine shops can listen for critical insights into the technologies, economic conditions and best practices that can influence how to best run facilities to reach operational excellence.
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About the Author
Anna Smith
Anna Smith joined IndustryWeek in 2021. She handles IW’s daily newsletters and breaking news of interest to the manufacturing industry. Anna was previously an editorial assistant at New Equipment Digest, Material Handling & Logistics and other publications.