SME, Women in Manufacturing Partnership Encompasses Broad Vision of Cooperation in Serving Manufacturing Industry, Labor Force

Virtual Career Fairs latest collaboration between Manufacturing non-profits

SME, the professional association committed to advancing manufacturing and developing a skilled workforce, has extended its partnership with Women in Manufacturing (WiM) to conduct two virtual career fairs in 2023.

“We’re excited to partner on this level with Women in Manufacturing, which shares with us many goals and aspirations for women and underrepresented groups in manufacturing who are seeking rewarding, sustaining careers,” said Sheronda Carr, Sr. Director, Membership, SME. “Like our broader, longer-term partnership, we believe the virtual career fairs will allow both employers and job seekers to connect with like-minded people who align with their values.

The two non-profit organizations have partnered previously in different capacities in recent years to promote a reciprocal membership opportunity and in marketing each other’s programs and events. This included WiM co-locating in 2017 at SME’s SOUTHTEC event in which it launched its first-ever WiM South Conference for manufacturing professionals based in the southeastern U.S.

“WiM values its industry partners and believes that together, we can truly impact more people and organizations,” said Allison Grealis, president and founder of WiM. “As a now global trade association working to support, promote, and inspire women in manufacturing, WiM aligns well with SME and complement each other’s work in many ways, making our partnership a natural fit for which WiM is truly grateful!”

Carr and Grealis said that in addition to the established activities, the partnership will annually produce the two virtual career fairs – one each during fall and winter – to help manufacturers reach, connect with and hire skilled employees in a variety of roles. This also allows qualified job seekers consisting of recent college graduates, young professionals, seasoned managers, and skilled tradespeople in a broad range of manufacturing disciplines to connect with companies that support, promote, and inspire women.

In advance of the fair, employers can utilize the event platform to create a virtual booth which will include job openings, marketing materials, and collateral designed to promote their company to job seekers. Job seekers can upload their resumes in advance of the fair and hiring companies will have access to the resume bank following the fair for any follow-up they would like to do post-event. Additionally, new this year, the virtual career fairs will offer registered job seekers the opportunity to participate in a resume workshop in preparation for the fair.

The next virtual career fair is scheduled to take place Thursday, February 9, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time. The online event will feature some of the country’s top manufacturing companies that lead with DEI initiatives including Toyota Motor North America, Shaw Industries, Southwire, American Axle & Manufacturing, Novelis, and many more. A link to the virtual career fair will be available on the WiM and SME websites.

Women in Manufacturing (WiM) is the only national and global trade association dedicated to providing year-round support to women who have chosen a career in the manufacturing industry. At present, more than 14,000 individual members representing nearly 3,000 manufacturing companies have joined our growing ranks of industry professionals. WiM encompasses manufacturers of all types and welcomes individuals from every job function – from production to the C-Suite. Membership is available to women and men working within the manufacturing sector.

We believe in the power of technology and the innovation of people to advance our nation and solve the world’s greatest problems. For 90 years, SME has been leading the manufacturing ecosystem to elevate manufacturers, academia, professionals, and the communities in which they operate. We build the bridge from today to the future by developing the next generation of manufacturing talent and informing industry on technology advances that can propel their operations into excellence. Learn more at sme.org, follow @SME_MFG on Twitter, or facebook.com/SMEmfg.