Finding, retaining, and advancing women in manufacturing and related STEM fields remain a top priority for our nation’s employers. Manufacturing faces a serious skills gap and part of this gap comes from the under-representation of women in the industry. While women make up approximately 47 percent of the labor force, women only represent 27 percent of the manufacturing labor force.
Industry has an opportunity to mitigate the gap by encouraging and recruiting more women to join the ranks of manufacturing employees. BASF Corporation and The Manufacturing Institute sponsored the Step Forward event in conjunction with Manufacturing Day on October 7th at the University of Houston.
After a lunchtime Fishbowl discussion with early and mid-level career individuals seated with college students, the audience was treated to a Women in Industry panel moderated by Patricia Rossman, Chief Diversity Officer and HR Communications of BASF Corporation. Panelists for this session included Rebecca Fitzpatrick-Yancy, Manager Environmental Specialist of Covestro LLC, Dani Grant, Human Resources Manager of Noltex LLC, Lisa LaBean, Responsible Care Director of The Dow Chemical Company, and Justine Smith, Vice President, Oilfield Solutions of BASF Corporation.
The Best Practices panel, moderated by Jennifer McNelly, Executive Director of The Manufacturing Institute, was the final event of the day. Panelists included Glenn Johnson, Manufacturing Workforce Development Leader of BASF Corporation, Lanier Robertson, Head of Human Resources for Covestro LLC, and Katy Theroux, Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer of NCI Building Systems, Inc.
For more information about the Manufacturing Institute, see their website:www.themanufacturinginstitute.org