uring the IAPD Leadership Development Conference in June in Denver, CO, USA, IAPD President Peter Delgado and Vice President Jim Richards led a strategy workshop on workforce development. With many of IAPD’s volunteers involved in the discussion, several key points were raised.

While recruiting new, young talent is key to an aging workforce; retaining that talent is also extremely important. There is nothing worse than bringing in a key member, only to have them leave for a better opportunity. So how do you retain and develop the talent you have recruited?

Developing your current employees seems like it should be simple: Keep giving them raises, keep promoting them, keep them busy.

After reading that line, many of you know that it is not a prosperous approach for any company and employees may become dissatisfied if raises and promotions don’t come as quickly as expected. Instead, the goal should be to keep employees happy and settled in their current positions.

One of the best ways to gain plastics knowledge is to reach out to your manufacturer partners to find out how they can offer education for your new talent. However, that isn’t always easy to organize. It is often expensive to get training from supplier partners and the costs of getting enough people into a plant that may only produce a few SKU’s can add up quickly.

To assist with the challenges of training new talent in plastics, the IAPD Education Committee has developed their own training program, the Introduction to Performance Plastics Live Training. This is a two-day, in-person seminar that covers the general fields of plastics, from the history of plastics all the way to how your customers are fabricating what you sell. These live trainings are held twice a year – once in spring and once in fall.

The live training is based on the book, Introduction to Performance Plastics, which is available for purchase at iapd.org at a discounted price for IAPD members. In addition to the book, there are many assets and online courses that IAPD has available to help you build an educational library for your employees. From online blogs, to recorded webinars or podcasts, you can find plenty of information to integrate into employee training curriculum.

Gaining this knowledge is great for your new talent, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. How do you motivate them to not only stay in their current roles, but be happy there?

Several strategies were shared in the workshop at the Leadership Development Conference:

A good mentorship program always works to keep younger talent encouraged to continue learning and improving in their positions. This can be done internally (through a manager or other member of your organization) or externally (through an experienced professional outside of your company). Mentorship gives younger employees a boost of confidence. It shows them that their company believes in them and wants to see them grow. Mentorship programs are a win-win for experienced employees too. By connecting to younger employees, some higher-ups may get a sense of satisfaction, knowing that they are recognized and appreciated for their experience.

Another strategy that was shared in the workshop is to encourage your “Shooting Stars.” Being publicly recognized for success through a “Shooting Star” award, “Good Egg” award or an employee of the month program can keep young talent motivated and lets them know that the managers in their company recognize their efforts. Recognition for good work and knowing that they are appreciated is key among the new generation entering the workforce.

As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to develop, it is sure to play a role in developing and retaining talent. Will it be used to develop better and faster accounting, logistical or educational methods used by your company? While there is nothing artificial about distributors moving a solid, tangible product, the processes used can be looked at and improved by this new technology.

Workforce development is going to continue to be important, especially as the younger generations become increasingly involved in this industry. Education that does not extend outside of your own company will only take you so far. Bringing in manufacturers or using IAPD’s resources can help you train your new employees. Then, providing feedback will encourage growth. Whether it is through mentorship or an employee of the month-style award, recognition will help them see the opportunities they have within your company, and not at someone else’s company.