Manufacturing sector remains vital to statewide economy

Paul Lavoie, Chief Manufacturing Officer of Connecticut, has a message of hope for the state’s non-college bound young people: “get a job in manufacturing.”

Lavoie, whose position is one of a kind in the United States, is spearheading Connecticut’s Office of Manufacturing’s new marketing campaign, called “I Got it Made,” seeking to inspire and educate young adults on the state’s manufacturing sector.

Lavoie hopes to dispel myths of manufacturing among young people as “dark, dirty, and dangerous… their grandfather’s business,” he said. “This is a marketing campaign designed around creating an outstanding perception of careers within Connecticut in manufacturing with young people and their influencers” — careers that do not require hefty college debts, he emphasized.

The industry is booming and primed for young careerists to succeed in the field, Lavoie assured. After a brief decline in the sector between the 1980s and 2010s, the industry is now seeing sharp growth. Between 2020 and 2022, manufacturing’s contribution to Connecticut’s GDP jumped from 10% to 12.6%, which made the state’s economy the 7th fastest growing in the nation. “It’s another stat nobody knows anything about,” Lavoie added with a wry smile.

About 10% of Connecticut’s workforce is currently employed in manufacturing, and the industry is the second largest in the state behind insurance. “And we’re lapping at insurance’s heels,” Lavoie said.

Connecticut has a rich history in manufacturing. Between the advent of patents in 1790 and 1930, Connecticut had the most patents issued per capita out of any US state. Connecticut’s arms industry in the 19th century was so integral to the military’s weapons supply that the state was known as “the arsenal of democracy.”

Today, the “bedrock” of Connecticut’s manufacturing industry lies in defense, medical devices and chemical manufacturing, and the state remains a leader in each field.

“You can’t fly without Connecticut” is a slogan in the aerospace industries, Lavoie mentioned, adding that “every submarine that’s made in America is assembled in Groton, Connecticut.”

Lavoie intends the “I Got it Made” campaign to bring young, “disruptive” minds into this vibrant and storied industry. “We need tomorrow solutions and young people can bring us those solutions of tomorrow,” he said.

Lavoie also hopes that attracting a younger, diversified workforce may bring more women and people of color into the industry. According to industryselect.com, only 1% of Connecticut manufacturers are owned by minorities, and just 2% by women. Lavoie intends that as the campaign is rolled out, through traditional tv and radio media, and most importantly through look books that will be accessible in every college guidance counselor’s office across the state, it reaches the full breadth of Connecticut’s diverse young population in equal parts, attracting more women and people of color to manufacturing.

Connecticut manufacturing is a “high value, low volume” industry, according to Lavoie — a highly respected sector which he hopes will attract bright and open-minded young professionals who are put off by the prohibitive costs of a college education.

Lavoie’s campaign is timely — recent reports show that young people across the nation are foregoing traditional college-directed career paths in favor of blue-collar work. Forbes refers to this movement as the “new collar workforce,” while a recent NPR article characterizes a new “toolbelt generation.”

Lavoie noted that Connecticut is a state where young people can confidently make the choice to pursue a lucrative career without accruing debts along the way. “We’re not a low wage state,” he said, indicating that while he holds his position, he intends to maintain Connecticut’s manufacturing industry as a highly valued and well-paying center for innovation.

He encourages those curious about manufacturing to visit the webpage of the Office of Manufacturing, manufacturing.ct.gov, as well as the site for the I Got it Made campaign, gotitmadect.com. He also urges those in the industry to register with mfgambassador.com, where one can sign up to be an ambassador to be sent information and content to educate others.

Connecticut is sitting “right in the middle of the growth engine”, he said. “It’s just a really exciting time to be here.”