Edited by Victoria Burt
They
had their chat on “America’s
Business,” a nationally syndicated
radio program. The full
interview is available by visiting
www.fma-foundation.org.
Dur ing the inter view,
Ratzenberger, also cofounder
of the Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs
Foundation (NBTF),
(www.nutsandboltsfoundation.org) a charitable organization
dedicated to introducing
young people to the pleasures
of tinkering, addressed
the importance of informing
youngsters about the value
and availability of manufacturing
jobs to train tomorrow’s
workforce.
“We must encourage kids
when they graduate from high
school to look at manufacturing
as a career,” he says. “Part of the
problem is the media and Hollywood
often portray manufacturing
in a poor light, denigrating anyone
who works with their hands. I also
think the industry goes about it the
wrong way. I’ve seen pamphlets,
printed books, and handouts and
they are all rather dull.”
According to Ratzenberger, the
NBTF’s approach is to start with
the media and talk about programming
that honors people who work
with their hands. “We need to do a
better job of informing children
that it’s not a bad thing to work in a
factory,” he says.
Egan noted how the FMA Foundation
has joined forces with the
NBTF to promote manufacturing
by sponsoring 20 camps nationwide
that introduce young people
ages 12 to 16 to careers in the industry.
The FMA Foundation is
an educational and charitable organization
that provides scholarships
and grants to high school and
college-age students preparing for
careers in metalforming and fabricating
technology. The camps team
up with local trade or technical
schools, and children who attend
typical summer camps also can
learn about designing 3D parts or
building something. The camps let
the kids make something that they
can be proud of and take home at
the end of the week.
Egan believes one key to attracting
kids to manufacturing is
through technology, such as plasma
cutting, laser welding, and robotics.
“Let’s get kids off the gaming consoles
and show them they can use
technologies even more advanced
than those little boxes on their TV,”
he told listeners. “Let’s teach them
that they can learn how to operate
the most advanced technology in
the world.”
“America’s Business,” sponsored
by the National Association of
Manufacturing, is a 1-hr radio program
hosted by Mike Hambrick
and heard on more than 80 stations
that delves deep into the issues that
shape manufacturing and business
in the United States and abroad.