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The Wood Industry Resource Collaborative has launched a new industry-wide career awareness campaign, “You Wood,” to communicate wood industry career pathways and attract new talent.
The campaign features a website with career resource information, including profiles of high-demand positions, career quizzes, links to educational resources like schools and scholarships, industry information, and an events calendar. The site will be continually updated, and features will be added, including industry pro spotlights, additional career pathway information, and custom video content.
The program was developed by several industry trade associations led by AWFS, Woodworking Machinery Industry Association, and Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, in partnership with Nashville, Tn.-based Industrial Strength Marketing.
“This campaign is the culmination of over three years of communication, research, and hard work,” says WMMA CEO Fred Stringfellow. “Companies in the industry are still struggling to find skilled workers as they grow to meet demand. We are excited to launch this campaign as a way to increase awareness; and to expand the pool of candidates for our future workforce.”
It is geared towards two audiences: high school students and those in their mid-20s to late 30s who are seeking a career change, including military veterans. A recent of these audiences found that over 70% of all respondents had no awareness of wood industry careers; however, 23% would consider a career in the industry.
