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Manufacturing isn’t a repetitive “dirty job”  anymore. Your father’s manufacturing job is a thing of the past, so the skills you need to succeed in Industry 4.0 jobs have changed. There are certain skills that employers are looking for when hiring the perfect person for the job, and the list just keeps growing. Start building these skills now to increase your odds of landing the job.

Attention to Detail

Attention to detail isn’t a new skill in the workforce, but it continues to top the list of in-demand skills. Whether you are troubleshooting a PLC or assessing wiring, in the high-paced world of manufacturing, it’s important to be focused and detailed oriented so that everyone stays safe and production keeps moving. There are a lot of moving parts in manufacturing that can be dangerous if you’re not paying attention.

Critical Thinking

Industrial manufacturing workers must be able to use logic and reasoning at a moment’s notice for alternative solutions and different situations where the first time working on something may not be the most effective. You must be able to work beyond what has been considered acceptable. You must be creative, problem solve, and develop new products.

Work with a diverse team

Working with a diverse team can be applied to any career, but especially manufacturing. You must be able to adapt to be the most productive with people that have different skills, beliefs, and strengths.  Fortunately different backgrounds and perspectives often result in ingenuity and innovation – a must for manufacturing. The people who succeed tend to view diversity as a strength, not something to overcome.

Strong communication

Communication will be involved with working with your diverse team. This is a great skill no matter what your profession. In manufacturing it’s important to be able to work with co-workers and troubleshoot issues that may occur. Communication goes beyond being able to verbally work with your co-workers; strong written communication skills are just as important to achieving results.

Dependability

An employer wants to be able to know that they can assign a task to you, and you will get it done. Not that, but you will get it done to the best of your ability in a timely fashion. It’s important to make sure that you do meet the deadlines that you are given.

Trade Skills

Along with the “soft skills,” it’s important to receive training on the machines that you will be using every day. Iowa Valley Business and Community Solutions offers short-term career training in a variety of industrial areas. Many employers will even schedule the training for you if it is something they want you to learn. It’s important to take advantage of these opportunities. It will make you a more valuable employee. From computer skills to welding to industrial maintenance machining…IVCE can offer you hands-on training.

Marshalltown Community College also offers degree programs in several industrial areas including Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive Repair Technology, Electrical Maintenance Mechanic, Electro-Mechanical Systems Technologist, Gunsmith Technology, Industrial Maintenance Mechanic, Machine Tool Technology (Tool & Die), Natural Gas Technician, Powerline Technician, Utility Technician, and Welding.

Many of these skills can be applied to any career that you may have. If there are some of these skills that you don’t have or are lacking then now is a great time to start working on improving and achieving them.