Hello Corporate Partners,
Last week, Alex LeMoine, ICPF’s Director of Outreach & Marketing and I attended the Manufacturing Institute’s (MI) annual Workforce Summit in Indianapolis. This year’s theme, Skills at Scale: Delivering America’s Competitive Advantage, focused on practical strategies for attracting, developing, and retaining manufacturing talent, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and building local workforce partnerships.
As in previous years, I wanted to share a few takeaways that stood out to us and may be helpful as you evaluate your own workforce development efforts. I would also encourage you to consider sending someone from your HR, talent acquisition, or operations team to a future Summit. The opportunity to learn from other manufacturers and exchange ideas is incredibly valuable.
1. Rethink How We Recruit: Are We Overlooking Great Candidates?
One thought-provoking question posed during the Summit was: “What’s one skill we’re treating as a hiring requirement that should really be a training responsibility?”
Attendees identified manufacturing experience, troubleshooting, technical skills, and problem-solving as examples of capabilities employers may expect candidates to already possess rather than develop through training.
Discussions also emphasized the importance of rethinking how we market job opportunities. Rather than focusing primarily on rigid qualifications and job responsibilities, manufacturers should highlight what today’s job seekers value, including career growth, opportunities to learn new skills, competitive compensation, and meaningful work. Recognizing transferable skills from other industries can also help expand the pool of potential candidates.
Takeaway: Are our job postings attracting talent or unintentionally discouraging qualified candidates from applying? Consider reviewing job descriptions to distinguish between essential qualifications and trainable skills, highlight opportunities for growth, and better communicate what makes a career with your company appealing.
2. Build a Connected Learning Ecosystem
A recurring theme was that workforce development is most effective when onboarding, mentoring, technical training, credentials, and career advancement are connected rather than operating independently.
During an interactive session, we explored how manufacturers can leverage existing resources, including experienced employees, digital learning platforms, community colleges, and industry associations, to create more structured training pathways. Companies also found success by implementing job shadowing or ambassador programs that encourage relationships between experienced members of the workforce and new hires or potential candidates.
Takeaway: Companies don’t necessarily need more training programs. They need to connect the resources they already have into a coordinated, people-driven strategy that helps employees understand how to develop their skills and advance.
I’m also excited to share that ICPF’s Board of Directors recently approved the development of a new Corrugated Maintenance Technician Certificate, which we anticipate making available in fall 2027. Currently under development, this initiative is designed to strengthen the industry’s talent pipeline by introducing new individuals to maintenance careers in corrugated packaging and providing foundational, industry-specific knowledge to help prepare them for entry-level opportunities. We look forward to sharing more details as the program takes shape!
3. Invest in Existing Employees and Create Visible Career Pathways
Several manufacturers shared examples of identifying transferable skills among current employees and providing those employees with opportunities to explore different departments, participate in cross-training, and advance into technical or leadership positions.
One company emphasized the importance of helping employees recognize that their current role doesn’t have to define their entire career.
Takeaway: Some of our best future maintenance technicians, supervisors, and quality professionals may already be working on our production floors. Ensuring that both existing team members and new hires understand the experience, skills, and qualifications needed to advance in their role is one of the simplest, most effective tools we have at our disposal. Providing opportunities for career exploration and communicating clear steps for advancement can strengthen both employee retention and internal talent development. This transparency, coupled with regular performance evaluations and opportunities for goal setting, can lay the foundation for an internal talent pipeline.
This is also an area where I believe ICPF could provide additional support. I’d like to explore working with our Talent Acquisition Committee to develop sample career pathway templates that companies could customize for their own operations. These could help employees better understand potential advancement opportunities, the skills and experience needed for different positions associated with higher pay, and the steps they can take to progress within their organizations.
4. Rethink Onboarding and Frontline Training
Manufacturers shared approaches to making onboarding more engaging and effective, including shorter training modules, peer mentors, structured supervisor check-ins, and more personalized learning experiences.
One presentation highlighted the importance of involving supervisors directly in onboarding and helping new employees feel supported and connected from their first day.
Takeaway: Effective onboarding goes beyond paperwork and safety training. Creating a more supportive, consistent experience can help employees build confidence, become productive, and feel invested in their organization.
5. Explore How AI Can Support Workforce Development
Artificial intelligence was a major topic at the Summit, particularly its potential to support employee training, capture institutional knowledge, and help employees solve problems. Speakers emphasized using AI as a learning tool while ensuring employees are equipped to critically evaluate its recommendations.
And if your company hasn’t yet invested heavily in AI, you may not be as far behind as you think. According to research shared by McKinsey at the Summit, only 19% of manufacturers offer AI-related training, and just 13% of frontline workers and supervisors currently use AI in any capacity.
Takeaway: AI doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul of your training programs. Consider starting small by exploring how these tools could help preserve institutional knowledge, support new employees, or make existing training resources more accessible.
6. Strengthen Your Workforce Through Local Partnerships
Another consistent message throughout the Summit was the importance of local collaboration. Manufacturers shared examples of partnering with community colleges, engaging educators, and even working alongside competitors to address shared workforce challenges and strengthen regional talent pipelines.
Takeaway: Companies don’t have to tackle workforce development challenges alone. Building relationships with local educators, training providers, and other manufacturers can create new opportunities to introduce students to manufacturing careers and develop a stronger pipeline for future employees.
How ICPF Can Help
Many of these discussions closely align with ICPF’s efforts to strengthen the corrugated packaging industry’s workforce pipeline. Through our educational outreach initiatives, the Corrugated Connections Mentorship Program, career readiness resources, and emerging workforce development initiatives, we’re working to help companies attract, develop, and retain talent.
I’d also encourage you to explore ICPF’s Workforce Development Report, which shares additional strategies and resources related to recruitment, retention, and employee development. These resources are available at www.careersincorrugated.com.
My biggest takeaway from this year’s Summit is that building a stronger workforce isn’t necessarily about creating more programs. It’s about making better use of existing resources, connecting them strategically, and creating clearer pathways for employees to succeed.
I hope these takeaways provide some useful ideas for your own organizations. As always, I’d love to hear about innovative workforce development strategies your companies are implementing so we can continue identifying opportunities to support the industry.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support!
Sincerely,
Caitlin Salaverria
ICPF President