I don ’ t work on the shop floor but I am in awe of all of the amazing work our people do and the incredible products I get to watch go out the door destined to soar above the Earth , either in our atmosphere or beyond .
Machinists Inc . has been producing precision custom components in Seattle for assemblies , tooling , and equipment for over 80 years . As the Director of Human Resources , I enact a people program focused on acquiring , retaining , and training the skilled personnel we need to continue to compete at the highest level . In a business with multi-million-dollar machines in every direction you look around our facilities , it has been and will remain , the people here that make us what we are . We ’ re faced with incredible challenges every day , and our customers rely on the ingenuity of our people to solve those problems day in and day out .
As my career has intersected with my love of aerospace I have gotten involved everywhere I can to advance the opportunities of not only our workforce here but that of the industry at large . I feel very positive about the work I ’ ve gotten to do with several advisory boards of manufacturing education programs — from the high school level up to the trade schools — around the Seattle area . I have also taken that one step further to create an in-house internship program here at Machinists Inc . which is focused on providing young people with the handson experience they ’ ll need to become effective additions to the manufacturing workforce . We ’ ve run two sessions so far and have been able to give a full time position to a very bright talent out of Federal Way High School who , after a month of working here in an entry level job as a shop attendant , has already moved into a full time assembly technician role , learning some of the complex systems in our gearbox division .
It ’ s incredibly fulfilling to see a program focused on the advancement of manufacturing skillsets in our youth , produce a talent so quickly .
I have enjoyed the work I ’ ve done in workforce development programs but I am also passionate about the important role a robust talent program plays in an industry that values the acquired knowledge of years of experience . It ’ s important to show our employees that we care about them and create policies and programs that keep them connected and engaged with the greater vision of what they ’ re working for every day .
There are so many variables at play in the current talent market that have required us to move quickly to enact positive change and roll with the punches , to not only get the people we need but to keep them . Career progression , flexibility and a sense of belonging are becoming more important , especially over the past couple of years . My team and I have been successful in not only sourcing the right talent but how to present the opportunities with Machinists Inc . when we find them . We ’ ll see what the future holds , but I ’ m excited to continue to do the work I ’ ve been doing and have that work impact an industry that I care so much about .
I ’ ll keep looking up at all those planes in the sky and will continue to look forward to the next time I ’ ll be looking out the window on my next flight .
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DECEMBER 2021 | JANUARY 2022 ISSUE NO . 24 49