SPRINGFIELD – With all-out effort to bring more and more manufacturing back into the US, the need for team members to consider the industry as a career has become more evident. TMA supports the effort, and suggested it be made official via the Illinois General Assembly.
The Technology & Manufacturing Association (TMA) is a 100 year old grouping that is focused on assisting small and midsize manufacturers in the midwest, especially Illinois. One of the most prominent and consistent requests from TMA members is assistance in finding skilled team members.
Way back in the 1940s, TMA began developing a training and education course introducing “Related Theory,” the foundation for skills needed for careers in Tool & Die Making. As time went on and industry advancements demanded, courses in CNC Machining and Mold Making added to the course alternatives.
Now, TMA is preparing courses in EDM, robotics and 3-D Printing in order to keep up with technological advances.
And while all these advancements move step by step in more and more automation, the manufacturing industry will be offering exciting opportunities for young people for generations to come.
Most employers not only offer generous salaries and benefits, but more and more are offering complimentary classes and training for employees interested in advancing their careers. The facilities are well-lit, well cared-for and open to amazing opportunities.
That’s why TMA asked our Illinois General Assembly to consider a resolution encouraging young people to search out manufacturing careers as an option for the future. Little or no college debt, generous salaries, ongoing training and promotions to leadership levels, benefits and in the smaller shops – a friendly family atmosphere wherein to work each day.
SJR 16 was proposed and encouraged by State Senator David Koehler of Peoria and joined by State Senator Craig Wilcox of Woodstock:
| |||||
| 1 | SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION | ||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, Small and Midsize Manufacturing Enterprises | ||||
| 3 | (SMEs/MSMEs) play an important role in the job creation | ||||
| 4 | process since they account for between 40 and 80 percent of | ||||
| 5 | total manufacturing employment worldwide; and | ||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, SMEs/MSMEs typically have a much simpler | ||||
| 7 | structure than larger businesses or manufacturers; there is | ||||
| 8 | much less red tape, and decisions that can take weeks or months | ||||
| 9 | for other companies can sometimes be made in minutes; often, | ||||
| 10 | customer service is personalized, and industry partners are | ||||
| 11 | considered friends more than clients; and | ||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, The management of SMEs/MSMEs is usually better | ||||
| 13 | connected to, and more in touch with, their staff than at | ||||
| 14 | companies with thousands of employees; since everyone is | ||||
| 15 | working toward the same goal, there is a greater feeling of | ||||
| 16 | camaraderie; this often shows itself in community initiatives | ||||
| 17 | generated inside an SME, such as fundraisers suggested by | ||||
| 18 | employees to benefit favored causes; while large corporations | ||||
| 19 | have research and development departments, SMEs often | ||||
| 20 | encourage all staff members to contribute ideas for new | ||||
| 21 | products to manufacture or ways to improve existing ones; and | ||||
| 22 | WHEREAS, Illinois is home to an unmatched manufacturing | ||||
| |||||||
| 1 | workforce and renowned universities and community colleges | ||||||
| 2 | that train a talent pipeline for the advanced manufacturing | ||||||
| 3 | jobs; 23,000 students graduate with manufacturing or | ||||||
| 4 | manufacturing-related degrees each year, and Illinois' | ||||||
| 5 | community colleges yield over 3,531 students from 371 programs | ||||||
| 6 | with manufacturing degrees and certificates; many Illinois | ||||||
| 7 | institutions partner with businesses and incubators to create | ||||||
| 8 | custom training programs; and | ||||||
| 9 | WHEREAS, In 2017, the average U.S. manufacturing worker | ||||||
| 10 | received $77,186 annually, including pay and benefits; in | ||||||
| 11 | 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the annual | ||||||
| 12 | mean wage of production workers in Illinois to be from $45,460 | ||||||
| 13 | to $73,820; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 14 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 15 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF | ||||||
| 16 | REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we encourage young | ||||||
| 17 | people to consider a career in small to mid-sized | ||||||
| 18 | manufacturing, which can lead to stable jobs that range from | ||||||
| 19 | $50k-$70k a year. | ||||||
