Senator Klobuchar Talks Workforce with Felling Trailers & How to Reach Future Workers
As part of NATM's ongoing efforts to increase its government affairs outreach and education, NATM trailer manufacturing members Felling Trailers hosted Sen. Amy Klobuchar at their Litchfield, Minn. facility on Oct. 27, 2018.
Felling Trailers, Inc.'s Litchfield location was honored to be part of Minnesota U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar's Central Minnesota Manufacturing road trip. While touring Felling's production facility in Litchfield, Sen. Klobuchar spoke with Felling Trailers’ ownership and management about issues such as healthcare and workforce shortages that the company, like many other manufacturers, are facing. Co-owner Brenda Jennissen told Klobuchar that between Felling Trailers’ Sauk Centre and Litchfield facilities where it builds custom trailers, it has 275 employees and 20 to 30 openings. "We are a growing company and need a strong workforce to keep pace with the demand for our product," she said. "As a business, we have seen a growing trend of employees that have decided to leave the company to simply work closer to home," said Paul Radjenovich, Vice President of Operations. “That was eye-opening, and we realized we need to home-grow the skills.”
Like several manufacturers across the nation, Felling looked to build relationships with area high schools and colleges. “By partnering with educators, we can introduce modern manufacturing to students and expose them to the career opportunities that exist,” said Jennissen. Felling invites schools to bring students in to tour their facilities to help them get a better understanding of what a career in manufacturing entails. The tours detail the entire trailer building process from start to finish. Most recently, the Sauk Centre seventh grade students toured their facility. “They were amazed. They had no idea what was going on in their own backyard,” said Jennissen. Felling Trailers, Inc. works with local schools to help get the word out to students of the jobs that manufacturing has to offer. Along with offering tours, Felling also offers a selection of student programs: Careers in the Community provides weld training to high school juniors and seniors, Youth Welding Camp provides basic welding safety and training for elementary to junior high ages, and most recently, Felling offered a Women in Welding course free of charge. Since starting these classes and getting students involved in manufacturing, many have come to work part-time while in high school and college to continue gaining experience.
During Senator Klobuchar's visit, she spoke about the measures being taken at the federal level to strengthen local workforces, specifically the Perkins Bill. “It will put more money into apprenticeships and community college, those kinds of things, that’s the first thing. The second thing is the federal government only has about 10 percent of education funding, but sometimes it can be used not as a hammer, but a carrot, to say ‘OK, if you do these kinds of programs in your schools, then you are going to get a grant or something.’ And I think we should be doing more of that, specifically focused on schools that are doing more with offering technical education, making it easier for schools to pair up with community colleges. And the third is more a mindset. But it’s just to start saying very clearly as leaders on the federal level, in both parties, there are many paths to success. You don’t need a four-year degree right away. My own sister didn’t graduate from high school, and she went on and worked in manufacturing in Iowa, and she eventually got her GED. And then she got a two-year degree and eventually [a] four-year degree, and she’s an accountant now. I think that whole work experience was very good for her for many reasons. ... We have to be very clear. It’s not one size fits all. You can get a college degree while you are working, and you can certainly work on stuff while you’re in high school. I think parents have to see the value of these jobs, how much they pay, the advantages of them. And employers are looking at, ‘OK, what can I do to be flexible with schedules? What can I do to get more women in the workforce in manufacturing?’ It’s no longer the three D’s: dark, dirty and dangerous. It’s pretty light in the [Felling facilities],” said Klobuchar.
Founded in 1974, Felling Trailers is a family owned and operated full-line trailer manufacturer located in Central Minnesota. The company has grown from a small shop to a factory and office complex that today covers over 260,000 square feet. Between Felling Trailers’ Sauk Centre and Litchfield sites where it builds custom trailers, it has 275 employees and 20 to 30 openings.
The NATM Government Affairs Committee specifically chose the topics of the skilled labor shortage and tariffs as the key issues to discuss at the 2018 Regulatory Roundup and Capitol Hill Visits in October. In August, NATM hosted a webinar on hiring veterans, which is a great pipeline for finding talent, and in September the Association hosted a Regional Educational Workshop that brought in resources from Elkhart County, Ind. including an economic development group, manufacturing extension partnership, and local education leaders to create a network of support for attendees. The 2019 NATM Convention & Trade Show will include a workshop on recruiting and retaining employees and the 2019-2021 strategic plan specifically addresses the need to act on workforce development issues. As a result, a steering committee was created, and members have been selected to develop and implement programming to aid members.
NATM’s Government Affairs program actively works to reach out to legislators on the behalf of its membership. But, in order to successfully advocate on behalf of the industry, it is crucial for member companies to contact the Association and alert them of potential challenges. With NATM member companies ranging from small shops to large corporations, running a business is already a full-time job without the added responsibility of working with legislators. Allowing NATM to do this on behalf of its members is but one of countless membership benefits.
Sen. Klobuchar’s visit to Felling Trailers’ Litchfield facility is an important step in educating member’s congressional representatives and NATM will continue to be proactive in informing legislators and their staff about industry interests and concerns. The Association will continue to identify the possible impacts of legislation and work to strengthen the communication between the trailer industry and lawmakers through plant visits, legislative round tables, and its annual Regulatory Roundup and Capitol Hill visits in Washington, D.C.
For more information about Felling Trailers, visit www.Felling.com or call (800) 245-2809. For more information about hosting your representatives or becoming more involved in NATM’s Government Affairs programs, contact NATM Assistant Director Meghan Ryan at Meghan.Ryan@natm.com or call (785) 272-4433.
