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46 SMT Magazine • May 2017 by Brian Kingston MC ASSEMBLY Perhaps more important than the technol- ogy and tools a manufacturing company has are its people. People are what make a compa- ny truly great and the process of recruiting tal- ented, skilled, dedicated employees and train- ing them properly for success is an important aspect of any manufacturing company. At MC Assembly, we are very involved in the local community and make an emphasis on vol- unteering and helping the local Careeronestop, American Job Center or what we locally call Ca- reerSource Brevard. This active involvement al- lows us to network with other professionals and meet a local candidate pool that one will not be able to find on job boards or through a re- cruiting agency. We also participate in intern- ship programs in hopes the intern will succeed and we will be able to hire them full time. Some other ways we find candidates include employee referral programs, partnering with the local community, participating in job fairs, and working with and volunteering at the local high school and vocational school. Communi- ty outreach initiatives are also very important when finding new candidates. In today's market, it's not only about what the candidate can contribute to the company, but what can the company contribute to the candidate: "Do you allow room for advance- ment?" "How is your on-the-job training pro- gram?" "Do you have tuition reimbursement?" "Do you contribute or volunteer with a cause the candidate is passionate about?" All these methods are very important in finding people. Right now, one of the biggest challenges fac- ing manufacturing companies is recruiting mil- lennial talent. There is an outdated mentality that with manufacturing, you do not have au- tonomy, that it's challenging work and there's no opportunity for individualism or advancement. At MC Assembly, we counter that by giving em- ployees an opportunity to voice their thoughts and take ownership over their work, by voicing how they think things should or shouldn't be done. It really gives us an upper hand honing in on our manufacturing process and making it the best we can. It's critical for our future that we be FEATURE