Introducing The Women of American Manufacturing Podcast
Today we launch The Women of American Manufacturing, an open conversation where we sit down with women leaders and makers across the manufacturing industry to explore their journeys into manufacturing, their vision for the future, and the innovation, creativity, and change that they bring to the industry.
What is The Women of American Manufacturing all about?
Women across America are revolutionizing manufacturing from all corners of the industry. Today, women represent 47% of the U.S. labor force, but just 29% of the manufacturing workforce, making women one of the largest pools of untapped talent in the industry. Research shows that diversity of the workforce benefits a manufacturing organization in all revenue-driving functions and increases profitability. With the significant skills gap limiting many manufacturing businesses from being able to evolve and expand, and the upward trend of tenured employees retiring, closing the gender gap has never been more important. Bridging this gap will take a significant change in mindset.
That’s why we created this podcast: to amplify and celebrate the voices of women in the field and shift the conversation and outcomes not just for women, but for the industry at large. We will feature women who are leading the way as agents of change, working to develop solutions to some of the industry’s greatest challenges, and inspiring more women to pursue fulfilling careers in manufacturing. Listen in for tales of the strategies, mindsets, and initiatives these game-changing women are leveraging and sharing for the benefit of the industry.
Meet our first speaker
On our first episode, we chat with Kristin Carlson, President of Peerless Precision, a family-owned precision machine shop. In this episode, Kristin shares what she is doing to dispel industry misperceptions, bring more women into manufacturing and inspire her team (and the industry) to embrace Industry 4.0.
“The biggest challenge that we face is skills gaps and workforce problems. Manufacturing for years and years has had a bad reputation…My big push is to work on changing the outdated narrative that surrounds our industry. It’s a really viable career option to be in, there is a growth path.”
Make sure to subscribe for future episodes and tune in next week to hear from Cheryl Huck, Human Resource Manager at Sirois Tool Co, as she tells us all about her personal journey of 22 years in manufacturing.
We hope you enjoy our podcast highlighting the incredible stories of women across the industry. The episodes are designed to inspire you, make you laugh, and introduce you to the real women who are, quite literally, building our country’s future.
The podcast is also available on Breaker, RadioPublic, Pocket Casts, and Spotify.