Spy film fans will remember James Bond famously saying the code words, “Can I borrow a match?” to ascertain if his foreign contact is one of the good guys. While the stakes are lower than espionage, foundries working to build up the next generation of metalcasting talent must engage in a similar game of identity detection.

The first mission in the battle for the future workforce: Get involved with local schools––especially instructors––to expose students to the industry and its opportunities. Plant seeds, make the case for manufacturing, and show the pours of molten metal whenever possible. Then, as the message sinks in (the code, if you will), wait and watch for the right response. Kids for whom the switch clicks, whose eyes widen, who ask questions and walk toward the casting process rather than away from it––that’s the secret code that signals you’ve found the right connections.

What comes next is crucial, according to Brian Lewis, executive director of the Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF). At the moment when those two, three, or four students step apart from the crowd, all could be lost unless a path is provided. Information delivered must be accompanied by a next step forward. 

“For the ones whose eyes light up and they’re like ‘Show me more,’ we need to say, ‘Ok, we’ll show you more!’” Lewis said. “‘Let’s get you to a tour, or let’s look at a summer camp or an internship.’ We need to provide that pathway to continue to spark their interest.” 
Jeff Cook, chief sales and marketing officer at AFS Corporate Member Eagle Alloy, has seen the light come on many times over the course of decades working with schools and talking to groups of students.

“I’ve given demonstrations at high school classes of about 15 kids,” he said. “Five of them are off in the corner on their phones, a handful are participating but they’d much rather just talk to each other. But then you have the three or four who are actually thinking about problem-solving, troubleshooting the defect they just found in their casting and asking how they can avoid that. Those are the students who you’ll find have the engineering mind and the problem-solving drive. It’s tough to teach that. They’ll approach and they’ll engage––those are the ones you talk to longer about the technology, the industry, and the education opportunities that are available.

“When we show kids what metal castings are and all the places they’re used, they are amazed. And students get it––it fascinates them. The best scenario is to get them in your plant shortly after that so you don’t lose them.”

But Cook adds a word of caution before bringing students in for a plant tour. 

“Foundries don’t always show well,” he said. “Many of us think we do, because we’re proud of our businesses. But go ahead and walk a sixth-grader around your foundry one time and see what kind of reaction you get. 

“So, look at your foundry through someone else’s eyes. It boils down to minimizing the noise, minimizing the smoke as much as you can; make the air clean, improve the lighting and make it bright. We’re never going to be a hospital and we’re never going to be a warehouse. We’re a manufacturing site; we make things and there’s a lot involved in that. But make sure the walking paths are clean and safe and not intimidating for young visitors.” 

Sell It! 

Without question, attracting students to the industry is an uphill climb and will never be a one and done. There’s a stigma to be overcome and a case to be explained both to students and their parents that today’s foundries are cleaner, safer, brighter, and full of high-tech equipment, modern processes, automation, and robotics. 

Nevertheless, metalcasting is competing against myriad job options, whether for post-secondary degreed careers or opportunities straight out of high school. Truth is, according to AFS Talent Committee Member Derek Conrad Brown, there are easier ways to earn comparable pay. And in a world where remote work is still highly sought and valued, metalcasting will never be done in a home office. 

“It’s going to be something else that attracts the person into this industry,” said Brown, who is president of Ken Chapman and Associates, a management consulting firm. “Maybe it’s pay and benefits. But an important factor is having the strong sense of pride in making something––pride of workmanship.

“We need to connect them to the fact that this work is important,” he continued. “’You’re actually going to be able to make something that’s made in America and made in your community.’ Appeal to that pride of association and doing something that they can point to and say, ‘I make those.’ It’s not just executives who want to brag a little about their work at the weekend barbeque.”

Brown recommends investing time and energy with middle school and high school instructors or even the principal rather than guidance counselors, who are frequently overwhelmed with paperwork and testing. “They’ve almost become a dam for conversations with students––it’s tough to get past the guidance counselor whose office has a backlog of priorities. Try finding another entry point, such as tech program teacher or even the economics teacher.”

Reaching the Teachers

Making connections with the adults who, second only to parents, influence students heavily is a proven and growing strategy among foundries that are dedicated to attracting young people to the industry.

For example, Eagle Alloy Chief Technical Officer Nic Tarzwell, together with the AFS West Michigan Chapter have gone so far as to create a program they call “City as a School” that focuses on providing casting education for teachers and administrators over the summer. 
At AFS Corporate Member Gemini, partnering with teachers––particularly industrial arts and shop teachers––is also a high priority, which gives them direct access to students through frequent tours during foundry work hours.

“We have a good relationship with several of those instructors at the local high schools,” said Casey McKone, plant manager at Gemini’s captive foundry in Decorah, Iowa. “The teachers are supportive and want to show kids what a manufacturing plant looks like and how they can have a career working with their hands, since that’s what they enjoy.”

“Another thing we have is a ‘teacher externship,’ he continued. “We have a shop teacher we employ during his off season in the summer months––he was intentional about gathering experience himself to help him become a more effective teacher and an advocate for his students when he returns to school.” 

Let Them Come In

The company, which upholds a core value of stewardship and involvement in the communities where it has facilities, approaches the workforce pipeline in multiple other ways as well, including participation in career fairs, providing sponsorships and donations to STEM-related organizations, contributing sand and metal for local students entering the Casting Dreams competition, and donating equipment to a local high school program.
But perhaps the most effective tactic for making the metalcasting business stick with students who are already “wired” for manufacturing is the simple staple of getting them inside to witness the innerworkings of the foundry.

“It is apparent to us that the metal pour leaves a distinct impression on people,” McKone said. “Sometimes we’re reminded of this when people apply for jobs here, and during the interview they say, ‘I remember touring and watching the pouring in that one building.’ It might be a couple of years later, but they never forget.”

Gemini draws in young people with seasonal positions, too, giving high schoolers and college students opportunities to experience foundry life during the summer. It’s proven to be an effective method for making career matches that stick. 

“I can think of three people at least who are currently with us after having an early encounter with our company,” said McKone. “In one case, we hired a young woman right out of high school for one of those seasonal roles. And now, after spending a few summers doing that, she is doing an engineering internship in the company.

“We also hired an engineering intern––he worked in the foundry and did some projects for us; he would even work on the production floor sometimes. He continued his schooling and went to work for a large aviation company. Later in his career, he ended up applying at Gemini and he’s now a supervisor of one of our foundry buildings. 

“And the third one who comes to mind is myself,” McKone continued. “I had an ‘in’ with the foundry because my father had worked here, and he convinced me to start at Gemini in one of those seasonal roles––I figured I’d work in the summers while I went to college and then it would be over. Well, guess what happened: I ended up continuing to work the whole time I was in college. Later, I ended up coming back in a long, roundabout path to the Decorah foundry where I started and which I now manage. Gemini has a culture of empowering people and encouraging growth, and they allowed me to work through different roles to develop my skills and grow as a person.

Engagement Makes Them Stay

McKone says he’s convinced many people would be interested in metalcasting and just need to hear about the opportunities. But getting them in the door is the job only half done. 

“If you have the person who wants to work for you, they’re physically there and on board, now you need the culture and the right environment that makes people want to continue to be a part of it,” he said. 

Brown, who consults in heavy industrial workplaces including foundries, says a high level of employee engagement can positively impact retention of the best people, and the litmus test for company-assessment lies in three employee questions: (1) Am I treated with respect and dignity by everyone in this workplace every day? (2) Am I given meaningful work? (3) Am I acknowledged for my good work?

“As we look at engagement in heavy industry, if everybody who’s being reasonable cannot answer those questions affirmatively, then we know that there’s some kind of an engagement barrier.”

Amanda Groves, chair of the AFS Talent Committee and vice president of people and culture at AFS Corporate Member Lodge, says employee engagement is evident when people will give “discretionary effort” in the form of additional time or effort to organizations they feel connected to. And connection happens in relationships.

“What I’m trying to do here at Lodge is focus on the manager-employee relationship, because I believe that what matters to employees is having a manager they believe cares about them,” Groves said. “And that means the manager knows who they are, and they know about their family and understand if there is something happening in their personal life. That 100% impacts how they show up at work.

“I also believe that one of the highest drivers of engagement is for people to say that they have a friend at work,” she added, “and there’s research that supports that. Folks have to feel like they’re included and supported by team members––and that’s particularly important when you have new hires. And so we focus on a really robust onboarding plan for every role. We provide a sort of ‘buddy’ from Day 1, from the production floor to the office, so they can immediately have a friend and a go-to person for questions they might not want to ask their boss.”

Lodge also started a program in which management selects (and incentivizes) more tenured employees who have engaging, positive personalities––people who make others feel good, Groves says. “These people intentionally check in with new hires to see how they’re doing, get to know them on a personal level, and introduce them to other people in the work area.” 

Over time, the business case for nurturing employee engagement practically litigates itself through improved KPIs, reduced turnover and absenteeism, and most importantly in improved safety. But when you embark on a mission to foster workplace engagement, sources say, it must be authentic, because people can smell gimmicks and platitudes a mile away. At Lodge, annual employee surveys help Groves keep tabs on the real pulse, and she creates action plans from the feedback to keep engagement moving in the right direction. 
This summer, the company achieved big progress in both safety performance and employee engagement. Lodge celebrated 1 million hours without a lost time incident and made a momentous decision to mark the occasion by shutting down production for four hours to throw a big employee party.

“It turned out to be the most engaging employee event that we’ve ever had,” said Groves. “People brought a change of clothes and stayed around even though they didn’t have to. We had lots of outdoor activities, including a dunk tank and a cornhole tournament, and people were just hanging out. We had music, we had prizes, we had these amazing snack tables, and everyone was having such a great time. Part of it was people not being worried about having to go back to work in 30 minutes. We were all just blown away by the participation and the vibe and the energy of it all.”