Rotary Career Symposium

T he manager of projects and part- nerships at Canadian Manufactur- ers and Exporters is gearing up for the Rotary Career Symposium. Her goal is to attract as many young people as possible into the largest industry in the province — manufacturing. It already em- ploys more than 64,000 Manitobans but more than 4,000 are going to be needed in the next few years to fill gaps in skilled trades, technology and engineering. "Who is going to come and help us under- stand AI (artificial intelligence) and data management? Some careers may not even exist yet. New careers are developing every day in our industry," Clincke said. Between 8,000 and 10,000 primarily young people are expected to descend upon the RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg from March 11-13, most of them high school stu- dents from across Manitoba. Clincke encourages grade 7 and 8 students, and adults, to come out on Monday evening, March 11, between 6pm-8pm. The sympo- sium caters to the younger students looking to get an early start on their career search and adults either looking for more education or to pivot into another work area. A big part of the pitch at the Rotary Career Symposium will revolve around an indus- try simulation with 10 activities where stu- dents can design a simple product, such as a key chain, while learning about safety, robotics and virtual reality. The final stage is a foundry where they can pour their own metal castings. "We need to show the next generation how incredibly interesting and cool manufactur- ing can be. It's not your (old), dark and dingy view of what manufacturing used to be. It's very high-tech," she said. The ability to attract new employees to manufacturing has implications for Mani- toba's economy, too. Clincke said the sym- posium hopes to show how traditional and advanced manufacturing work together so students can get excited about the educa- tion required before they go out and look for work. Any time an industry is unable to find enough employees, it faces the very real risk it won't be able to produce at any- where near its capacity, which would drag down the province's economic output and also impact Manitoba's presence on the international stage. "We want people who have an interest in how (things) are made and are able to adapt. Our industry is progressing and technology is at the forefront. We need workers and we need to focus on re-skilling those we al- ready have and ensuring we are informing young students about the opportunities at an early enough stage so they want to be- come a part of the manufacturing family," she said. Efforts to attract young employees don't end when the symposium finishes. A few months ago, CME launched a pilot project called "Lean 101," in which member com- panies such as Barkman Concrete, Loewen Windows and Decor Cabinets give grade 11 and 12 students tours of their facilities and provide some industry training while also asking for feedback of how the students think their operations are running. Clincke calls it a "feeder system for the future." "More than 60 per cent of our organizations at CME are engaged in lean (manufactur- ing)," Clincke said. Lean manufacturing fo- cuses on the systematic reduction of waste and an engaged workforce while improving productivity. "They want young people to feel comfort- able in their organizations and see them suc- ceed," she said. "If they can create an eco- system where students can meet (people) in an organization and feel they've had a bit of an impact, there's a good chance when they've gone through post-secondary, they may return as an employee," she said. WELCOME TO THE manufacturing family BY GEOFF KIRBYSON Geri Clincke is looking for a few good young men and women. Well, actually, more than 4,000 of them. "We want people who have an interest in how (things) are made and are able to adapt." –Geri Clincke TH INNOVATION. CONNECTION. REPRESENTATION. Canada's leading manufacturing association dedicated to help manufactures grow. Join us for the CME Industry Night Friday June 21, 2019 – 7:00 PM Shaw Park Post-Game Fireworks! Manufacturing the future! In partnership with the Winnipeg Goldeyes, $4 from every ticket within a Group Ticket Purchase will be donated to the CME Manitoba Scholarship Fund. Come out to celebrate 100 years and support Manitoba youth! Buy tickets today! Call 204.956.3218 CME-MEC.CA

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