My Take: Let’s Sell It!

By Jane Alexander, Deputy Editor

Why do you do what you do, and what is it that brought you to wherever you are today?  I’m referring to your job—whatever it may be—in the maintenance-related food chain. Yeah, yeah, money and health insurance sure do talk. That’s a given. Still, I’m betting that a lot of you are like me: You’re out there riding for the brand.

In my case, the brand is Applied Technology Publications, for which I get to regularly do what I love (i.e., produce informative editorial on interesting topics for what seems like an appreciative audience). Regardless of your industry sector, company/organization or product, I would submit that the true brand most of you are riding for is “reliability,” and that you, too, are getting to do what you love (i.e., keep equipment systems and processes up and running).

If I’ve pegged you correctly, you have a little selling job to do for me in terms of the workforce of the future. Let me explain…

Everywhere I go these days, I’m being told the same sad story that we’ve been hearing (and writing about in the pages of this magazine) for years: There aren’t enough skilled workers for today’s industrial-related jobs, and there certainly won’t be enough for tomorrow’s. What’s worse, despite reports of high unemployment rates in their age group, it’s evidently still pretty tough to get newly minted high-school and college graduates even a tad excited about jobs in industry.

Maybe we’ve been going about things the wrong way. Perhaps it’s time to personalize the pitch. That’s where you come in.

While MT can expound endlessly on the skilled workforce crisis and how we think it could be solved, we typically don’t hear from our readers about why they like their jobs, etc., etc., etc.  We also don’t get access to those heartwarming stories many of you have regarding some friend, relative, teacher,   employer or old-timer at your plant who inspired you to keep plugging away in the maintenance and reliability field or taught you some great life lesson that’s served you well in your work over the years. We want you to share this information with us—and let us share it in our pages. Our thinking is that true-life accounts of what turns you on in your job can help turn on others and, let’s hope, attract young people to careers in industry.

We’ll make it easy for you. Click here and answer a few short questions.  Write as much as you like, and be sure to provide your full contact information. We’ll need to get in touch with you if we choose to publish your insight.

Those of us at Applied Technology Publications are very passionate about our mission. We know many of you feel the same way about what you do. Let’s leverage our collective enthusiasm to “sell” the countless benefits and rewards that industrial career paths offer. I’m looking forward to hearing from  and working with you on this project! MT

jalexander@atpnetwork.com