2019 Education & Workforce Development Best Practices Report, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines talent pipeline challenges and retention strategies through a 2019 survey of North American small and medium manufacturers, interviews, and case studies and benchmarks practices across industries. The analysis indicates three focus areas—workforce development and retention (apprenticeships, internships, high-school and college partnerships), talent management and incentives (dedicated HR, flexible career paths, targeted recruiting), and knowledge capture for retiring workers (mentorship, phased schedules, advanced notice)—while charts highlight recruiting channels and training approaches; emerging patterns show faster hiring where assessments and digital screening are used. The report reveals where engineering teams are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
Published by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies in January 2019. Based on employer surveys, interviews, and secondary analysis of industry data from primarily small-to-medium (≤250 employees) manufacturing, CPG, pharmaceutical, and equipment firms collected in 2018.
