Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – With the number of manufacturing job openings in the United States averaging 830,000 per month over the past year, the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute have partnered with FactoryFix to launch and power Creators Connect, a new digital career resources platform designed to help students, parents, career influencers and job seekers easily explore and pursue the wide range of pathways available in modern manufacturing.

“Addressing the workforce crisis is among the top concerns for manufacturers across the country,” said NAM President and CEO and Manufacturing Institute Board Chair Jay Timmons. “While we cannot fully solve this challenge without immigration reform, manufacturers are determined to lift up more people in the United States with the promise and reward of modern manufacturing careers—and Creators Wanted’s new digital career resources platform is another way that manufacturers are leading with solutions.”

Creators Connect is the first and only unified platform to search and explore career pathways, job openings and job training programs across the entire manufacturing industry while making it easier for manufacturing professionals to attract and identify talent to fill the skills gap.

“We’ve made tremendous strides in inspiring a new generation of manufacturers at the Manufacturing Institute and across the industry, but what’s been missing is a single resource for manufacturing jobs and pathways opportunities,” said MI President Carolyn Lee. “Today, we bring an unmatched tool—in terms of volume and quality of jobs—to help us close the skills gap and change more misperceptions about modern manufacturing.”

Creators Connect is live on CreatorsWanted.org, home of the NAM and MI’s Creators Wanted campaign, which is the largest industry campaign to build the workforce of today and tomorrow. Since 2021, Creators Wanted has built an email network of more than 1 million students, early career entrants and potential career influencers. FactoryFix is already the leading manufacturing recruitment platform in the U.S., hosting more than 400,000 job openings and having its own talent network of more than 650,000 manufacturing workers. The partnership is the first of its kind for the industry’s largest and oldest manufacturing trade association.

“It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for FactoryFix to be the engine behind Creators Connect and a part of the Creators Wanted campaign,” said FactoryFix CEO and Founder Patrick O’Rahilly. “As a one-stop recruiting solution for manufacturers to find qualified and engaged candidates, we’re looking forward to increasing our impact in addressing the labor shortage and helping more Americans create their future in modern manufacturing.”

By powering Creators Connect, FactoryFix representatives will join the NAM and the MI’s Creators Wanted workforce campaign as it continues its roadshow in 2023 and expands its digital campaign across the United States. By 2025, Creators Wanted aims to recruit 600,000 new manufacturing team members; increase the number of students enrolling in technical and vocational schools or reskilling programs by 25%; and increase the positive perception of the industry among parents and career influencers to 50% from 27%.

To explore Creators Connect, visit CreatorsWanted.org.

-NAM-

The National Association of Manufacturers is the largest manufacturing association in the United States, representing small and large manufacturers in every industrial sector and in all 50 states. Manufacturing employs more than 12.9 million men and women, contributes $2.81 trillion to the U.S. economy annually and accounts for 55% of private-sector research and development. The NAM is the powerful voice of the manufacturing community and the leading advocate for a policy agenda that helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and create jobs across the United States. For more information about the NAM or to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, please visit nam.org.

-Manufacturing Institute-

The MI grows and supports the manufacturing industry’s skilled workers for the advancement of modern manufacturing. The MI’s diverse initiatives support all workers in America, including women, veterans and students, through skills training programs, community building and the advancement of their career in manufacturing. As the workforce development and education partner of the NAM, the MI is a trusted adviser to manufacturers, equipping them with resources necessary to solve the industry’s toughest challenges. For more information on the MI, please visit https://www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.

-FactoryFix-

FactoryFix is the leading recruitment automation solution for manufacturing companies, combining the power of a talent network with specialized recruitment technology. Our platform helps HR manufacturing teams save time and budget by automating tedious tasks, streamlining recruitment efforts and providing a consistent flow of engaged candidates.

Founded in 2017 in Chicago, Illinois, FactoryFix has nearly 650,000 manufacturing professionals in its talent network and is the exclusive recruiting partner of the National Association of Manufacturers, Manufacturing Institute and Creators Wanted. Hundreds of the top manufacturing companies in the country trust FactoryFix to help meet their hiring goals. For more information, please visit https://www.factoryfix.com.