Sandra L. Bouckley, FSME
2017 SME President SME Member Since 2004
SME SPEAKS PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 2017: Inspired, Educated and Prosperous A
s I begin my term as 2017 SME president, I do so with a great deal of optimism, enthusiasm and pride. I’m very proud to carry on the legacy of those
who’ve come before me and look forward to leading the organization in its continued efforts to serve the manufac- turing community. For more than 80 years, SME has been dedicated to this invaluable industry. Through our education foundation, train- ing and development, media, membership and trade shows and conferences, SME offers valued resources and services to current professionals and future generations. We provide scholarships and manufacturing curriculum to high schools and colleges around the nation, which ultimately maps back to SME’s overall purpose—to advance manufacturing and attract future generations.
As an industry that alone would be the ninth largest economy in the world, supporting over 12 million work- ers, getting it right matters. One of the greatest challenges manufacturers face today, with arguably the largest potential impact to remaining competitive, relates to the workforce. A company’s ability to attract and retain employees is critical, as is its ability to keep workers current on the latest tools, technologies and processes. Like healthcare, fi nancial services and IT, the manufac- turing industry is under tremendous pressure to tackle the widening skills gap problem. Currently, there are 600,000 manufacturing jobs unfi lled because people lack the job skills needed to perform in these positions, Baby Boomers are retiring and tools and technologies are advancing. Manufac- turers face an onslaught of hard-to-fi ll open positions in areas such as machining, welding, mechatronics, CNC program- ming, engineering, robotics and automation. Over the next 10 years, it’s predicted that 3.5 million man- ufacturing jobs will be available. However, without the right
skilled workers for those jobs, estimates show that 2 million of those jobs could go unfi lled. As manufacturing tools and technologies progress, companies fi nd it increasingly diffi cult to recruit workers with the proper skills needed to compete in today’s advanced society. Additionally, innovation and advancements in manufac- turing technology are moving rapidly. For professionals and companies to remain competitive, they must keep pace with those changes. While technical innovation can provide great opportunity for companies, it can be a challenge for work- ers who are unable to master the constantly changing skills needed to succeed. Working in today’s high-tech and innovative facilities with advanced technologies mandates that we equip students going into manufacturing fi elds with the proper technical training in math and science as well as analytical and prob- lem-solving skills. That’s where the SME Education Founda- tion is vital. If you’re not already involved with or donating to the Education Foundation, I encourage you to consider doing so—we can each make a difference to keep manufacturing strong and fi ll the future workforce pipeline. To further SME’s appeal, we’ve structured our mem-
bership offerings to cater to all aspects of an individual’s professional or academic career. From high school students to postsecondary students to emerging professionals to mid and senior-level professionals to retirees, there are many paths an individual can take to be successful and/ or give back. SME members can stay informed about new manufacturing positions, internships, mentorships, leader- ship opportunities, and most importantly, they can build their professional network with others in industry. I’ve taken differ- ent avenues throughout my manufacturing career, as I have as an SME volunteer. One constant for me is SME and the network I’ve built over the years.
January 2017 |
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