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The HR Newsletter of the Council of Industry
July 10, 2025
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Emma Olivet Promoted to Workforce Development Manager at the Council of Industry
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The Council of Industry of Southeastern New York is pleased to announce the promotion of Emma Olivet to the position of Workforce Development Manager.
In this role, Emma will coordinate the Council’s strategic initiatives to support regional manufacturers in attracting, training, and retaining skilled talent through apprenticeship programs, recruitment campaigns, and partnerships with education and workforce organizations.
Emma joined the Council in June 2024 and quickly became an integral part of its workforce development team, building strong relationships with member companies, local educators, and community partners.
"Emma has brought fresh energy and insight to our workforce initiatives," said Johnnieanne Hansen, CEO of the Council of Industry. "Her promotion reflects her dedication to our members and her ability to help address one of the most critical issues facing manufacturers today—finding and developing skilled workers."
Reflecting on her new role, Emma Olivet said, "I’m honored to take on this new challenge and continue working alongside an incredible team and community of manufacturers. Helping people find meaningful careers in manufacturing and supporting companies in building a pipeline of talent is work I’m passionate about. I’m excited for what’s ahead."
Read the press release
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Since 2018, the Council of Industry's Manufacturing Career HUB has helped members post jobs, source talent, and fill critical positions.
The purpose of the Career HUB is to provide a central location for manufacturing job opportunities in the region and to raise awareness of the importance of this industry. It does this through HV MFG Jobs.com, which promotes job openings to active job seekers across major platforms like Indeed, Google Jobs, and more—extending the visibility of each posting and connecting employers with a broader talent pool.
The Council also uses the Career HUB to support its broader workforce development mission—sharing not only job openings, but also the importance of these careers with educational institutions, community partners, elected officials and career readiness programs. It’s a tool to help inform, inspire, and connect the next generation to meaningful work in manufacturing.
HV Mfg. Jobs has proven to help manufacturers receive increased traffic on job openings, eventually filling those positions. The Career Hub gives members an opportunity to find a high number of suitable candidates that otherwise might have been unattainable. So far in 2025, more than 180 jobs have been closed through the Career Hub. Each month, the Job Board averages more than 700 candidates.
"As an active user of the platform, I’ve consistently found it easy to navigate and highly effective for regularly posting positions and reviewing applicants," said Paige Struber, HR Coordinator at Selux Corporation, a member of the Council.
"Its cost-effectiveness compared to other recruitment channels gives us solid results without a big price tag. The Career Hub is easy to use, keeps us visible in the local talent pool, allowing us to manage postings and track applicants in one place. We’ve had many successful hires come directly through the Career Hub, helping us connect with candidates who are not only qualified, but who also understand and are excited about working in the manufacturing industry. The Council of Industry’s Career Hub has been an invaluable resource."
Join the Career Hub and help us build the future of manufacturing- by filling your open positions and promoting opportunities across the region.
Click here to learn more about Career Hub subscriptions, starting as low as $295 per year:
https://members.councilofindustry.org/manufacturing-career-hub
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Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership - Session Filling up Fast!
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The Council of Industry's Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership program offers attendees a range of leadership skills through concentrations of courses. Participants who complete the required courses are presented with the Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership by the Council of Industry.
All courses are interactive full day sessions (8:30 am to 4:00 pm) with lunch, scheduled breaks, networking, and group discussions.
"The Council of Industry’s Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership has been helping supervisors and team leaders grow through practical, hands-on courses for over 25 years," said Emma Olivet, the Council's Program Coordinator. "This year, we’re hosting the sessions at Fair-Rite Corporation, a longtime Council member with a great training space. Hosting the program there makes it easier for members in Ulster and Orange Counties to attend."
Location
The Classes will be held at Fair-Rite Products Corp., located at 1 Commercial Row, Wallkill NY 12589.
Though participants are encouraged to complete the course series for the most comprehensive supervisory education, the Council welcomes individual course registration as well.
Summer 2025 Certificate in Manufacturing Leadership Schedule:
August 13th & 20th - Fundamentals of Leadership (2 Sessions)
August 27th - Making a Profit in Manufacturing
September 10th - Human Resources Management Issues
September 17th - Risk Management: Environmental Health & Safety Issues
October 8th - Effective Business Communication
October 29th - Lean Overview & Simulation
November 5th - Motivation, Coaching, and Managing Difficult People
Full Program Cost:
Individual Attendee: $1,975
Two or More Attendees: $1,875
Reach out to Emma Olivet for more information!
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HR Manufacturing Sub Council Meeting - September
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The HR Manufacturing Sub-Council brings together HR professionals from across our manufacturing member companies to connect, collaborate, and exchange ideas in a dedicated, industry-specific setting.
At the Meeting Held May 20th at McKesson’s Montgomery Distribution Center, participants discussed sourcing talent and recruiting. The group shared what’s working and explored new approaches to recruiting talent to their manufacturing businesses.
This sub-council is open to HR professionals, business owners, and anyone managing HR responsibilities within manufacturing member companies. The nest meeting will be held
September 16th from 8:30 – 11:00 AM and to be determined location. (If you're an associate member or part of our extended network, reach out to Johnnieanne Hansen to discuss ways to join the conversation.)
Register Here (Manufacturing Members only please)
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Golf Outing Nearly Full - Thank you to our Generous Sponsors
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The Council of Industry will hold its Annual Golf Outing on the last Monday in August at the Powelton Club in Newburgh. Registration and lunch will begin at 11:30 followed by a shotgun start at 12:30. Cocktails and a light dinner will follow at approximately 5:00 p.m.
The event is sold out - but a few sponsorships- especially tee sponsors - are still available.
Thank You Sponsors!
Shirt Sponsor - Thank you NRG
Best Ball Prize Sponsor - $1,250
Closest to the Pin Prize Sponsor - Thank you Fisch Solutions
Hole In One - 1,050 - Thank you Elna Magnetics
Tee Sign Sponsors:
More Tee Signs Available - Click Here to learn more
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Upskill Your Workforce With Manufacturing Apprentice Program Electro-Mechanical Technician (EMT) Trade
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Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians combine knowledge of mechanical technology with knowledge of electrical and electronic circuitry. They operate, test, and maintain unmanned, automated, robotic, or electro-mechanical equipment.
Work Processes (Skills learned on the Job) Approximate Hours for Electro-Mechanical Technician:
- Safety and Workplace Orientation: 250 hours
- Mechanical Repair: 2,000 hours
- Electrical Repair: 950 hours
- Electronic Repair: 1,900 hours
- Preventative Maintenance : 2,750 hours
- Miscellaneous: 150 hours
Total Hours: 8,000
Minimum of 144 Hours of Related Instruction (Classroom Learning) Required for Each Apprentice for Each Year:
- Safety & Health
- Engineering Drawings
- Mathematics
- Trade Theory and Science
- Computer Fundamentals
- Welding (if performed on-the-job)
- Working on High-Voltage Manufacturing Equipment
- Interpersonal Communications: oral and written
- Sexual Harassment Prevention
If you want to know more about the EMT trade and if it might be right you’re your company contact Johnnieanne Hansen
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Thinking About Apprenticeship at Your Company? Learn More About The Program with MIAP Webinars & 'Office Hours.'
The Council of Industry is happy to announce that it will be hosting six webinars -- one for each trade offered through the Manufacturing Intermediary Apprenticeship Program -- to connect with individuals who might be interested in the program and want to know more!
These sessions will provide more information on each trade, as well as give potential apprentices the opportunity to ask questions about the program before making their decision.
Webinar Schedule:
- July 31st at 8:30 AM – IMT (Industrial Maintenance Technician)
- August 6th – QAA (Quality Assurance Auditor)
- August 15th – EMT (Electro-Mechanical Technician)
- August 25th – CNC (Computer Numerical Control)
- September 5th – TM (Toolmaker)
- September 15th – MM (Maintenance Mechanic)
We are also planning on holding virtual office hours on a monthly basis, at varied times to make sure we are available to all apprentices. The first virtual office hours will be held August 7th from 7:00 to 8:30 AM for current apprentices who may have general questions or need support. This will be a casual, drop-in format—no formal agenda, just a space to connect and troubleshooting as needed.
Click here to learn more: https://members.councilofindustry.org/events/
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Candidate ID: 35687
Position Interest: Welding Technician / Mechanical Technician / Entry-Level Welder – Seeking Summer 2025 Opportunity
Level: Entry Level
Skills: MIG Welding, TIG Welding, Stick Welding, FCAW, GMAW, Vehicle Detailing, Customer Service, Microsoft Suite, Math, Management, English (Fluent), Spanish (Intermediate)
Education: Associate of Occupational Studies in Welding, SUNY College of Technology at Alfred – 4.0 GPA
Clubs/Volunteering: Sigma Tau Epsilon National Honor Society, SUNY Alfred Cross Country Team
Experience:
- Performed welding repairs and car body maintenance using GMAW techniques
- Cleaned and detailed vehicles including waxing, polishing, interior and exterior care
- Supported student housing operations through leadership, scheduling, and conflict resolution
- Provided customer service in food and beverage settings, maintaining safety standards and managing high-volume service
Availability: Open to Interviews
Location/Commute: Resides in New Paltz, NY.
Summary: A highly motivated engineering student with a strong foundation in mechanical engineering and accounting, excelling in research, leadership, and hands-on projects. Experienced in mathematics and sports analytics research, as well as developing innovative engineering solutions. Actively involved in student government, community outreach, and professional organizations, fostering collaboration and problem-solving skills. Proficient in MATLAB, SolidWorks, Python, and data analysis, with a keen interest in technical innovation and financial systems.
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News for HR and Workforce Professionals
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Inside Chanakya Thunuguntla’s Plan to Rebuild the U.S. Workforce with Artificial Intelligence
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The U.S. is experiencing ongoing challenges in the labor market that could have long-term implications for economic growth. What began as localized hiring difficulties has become a broader issue, raising concerns about the nation’s future competitiveness in the global market. The problem runs deeper than simple supply and demand. Companies are still using talent playbooks that were designed for a different era — one in which employees would work the same role for decades, job requirements changed slowly, and global disruptions were rare exceptions rather than quarterly realities. And the more companies resist this evolution, the more apparent the nation’s workforce challenges become.
Chanakya Thunuguntla believes that artificial intelligence holds the answer. As people analytics and AI lead at a $150 billion financial technology platform, he’s built a solution that doesn’t just predict talent problems — it helps organizations prevent them from happening in the first place. “AI and people analytics offer a powerful solution by enabling precision at scale,” he says. “Instead of treating employees as static roles in an org chart, AI can map patterns to offer actionable insights tailored to individuals and teams.” In doing so, AI can predict issues in performance, engagement, and skill development. Not only that, but they can help organizations prevent these problems before they ever occur.
Read more at USA Today
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Embracing Total Rewards: 4 Steps To Reinvent Your Compensation Strategy
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Today’s workforce craves purpose, flexibility, and rewards that reflect the full spectrum of life, not just work. Leading employers are responding with bold, people-first compensation strategies that blend salary, benefits, growth opportunities, and well-being into one powerful formula: total rewards. The goal is a more engaged and productive workforce, while keeping costs under control.
1. Assess what’s working - Gather employee feedback and benchmark against the market. What benefits are making a difference and what needs refreshing?
2. Define clear objectives within your budget - Align your approach to business goals, whether it’s rapid hiring, boosting retention, or enhancing engagement through learning and well-being
3. Incorporate creative elements - Offer performance bonuses, equity, paid volunteer time, flexible PTO, and mentorship programs. These reinforce company values and enhance employee experience.
4. Communicate, align, and adapt - Make your strategy transparent and inclusive. Clear messaging helps employees understand the full value of their total rewards and fosters long-term loyalty.
Read more at HR Grapevine
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Encourage Your Teams to Think More and Do Less
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For the last few years Harvard’s Megan Reitz and John Higgins have been researching two modes of attention that people use at work: doing mode, in which people pay narrow attention to a specific task in order to control, predict and get it done efficiently; and spacious mode, in which people pay attention more expansively, without hurry, making them more receptive to relationships, interdependencies, and possibilities—like Soren’s approach to cost-cutting. Spacious mode leads to critical benefits in the workplace, such as gaining insight into challenges, thinking strategically, spotting opportunities, building relationships, and sparking joy and motivation.
They found that spacious thinking is regularly suppressed in favor of doing mode in organizations. Their research—which has included a global survey of more than 3,000 employees, ongoing discussions with 50 global professionals, and interviews with leaders and those they lead—shows that employees looking to excel worry that shifting into spacious mode can be interpreted as a lack of efficiency or urgency. As a result, it feels career-limiting, and like it requires permission from a manager, so few employees do it regularly. While all employees have some agency to shift to spacious mode, leaders play a crucial role in making it more accessible at work because they can legitimize it as a good way to spend precious time (or not). In this article we’ll show how leaders often unknowingly discourage spacious thinking on their teams, and what they can do to help instead.
Read more at The Harvard Business Review
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How Do We Grow Talent When No One Wants To Climb The Ladder?
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There was a time when career paths were predictable. You studied a profession, entered an organization, and saw your future in the titles of your manager, their manager, and the trajectory that awaited you. Promotions and training followed a familiar rhythm. If you stayed on course, your career would rise steadily until retirement. That career development strategy no longer fits the world we live in. Careers today look more like rock climbing walls than ladders.
On a ladder, there’s one way up. But a rock wall offers infinite routes: sideways, diagonal, even temporarily downward. Each move is intentional, based on what you’ve learned, what you want next, or where life is pulling you.
People managing their careers know this. But the organizations are slow to adapt. And this causes issues because when people stop climbing the traditional career ladder, the structures and systems built around that ladder get misaligned with how work actually happens. If organizations continue to operate around outdated assumptions of career progression, they risk losing talent, slow down innovation, and struggle to respond to rapidly shifting business needs.
Read more at Forbes
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How HR Is Using Virtual Chat and Chatbots
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More HR leaders are considering and adopting conversational AI technology. In fact, Gartner has predicted that by 2023, 75 percent of HR inquiries will be initiated through conversational AI platforms. HR is an area of the company that is well-positioned to benefit from the power of technology to handle administrative types of tasks that can free up their time to focus on more strategic opportunities.
AI-enabled data use cases include candidate competency assessments, interview scheduling, candidate engagement, employee self-service tools, virtual assistants, onboarding, employee career planning, candidate sourcing and initial screenings.
Nancy Hauge, chief people experience officer with Automation Anywhere, based in San Jose, Calif., has quantified actual savings from the use of chatbots. "In our experience, the use of automation technology in HR has led to an 88 percent reduction in contract processing time and an 80 percent decrease in signature processing time," Hauge said. "By implementing digital workers—or software bots—we have also been able to free up more than 12,000 work hours." This has freed up staff time to work on more strategic and creative projects instead of repetitive, administrative tasks. Automation Anywhere currently has 50 HR automation bots running at any given time (with over 150 in the queue) for onboarding, record integrity, system alignment, talent planning and career development.
Read more at SHRM
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3 Strategies To More Effectively Use Paid Time Off As A Productivity Booster
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While it’s not typically the first thing people think of, rest is just as foundational to productivity as action and hustle. Without it, productivity will suffer, along with employee wellbeing and engagement.
Unfortunately, many organizations are at higher risk for these outcomes because employees aren’t using their allotted time off or aren’t using it in a restful way. After breaking down cross-industry data on the number of paid time-off days that organizations offer, Elissa Tucker and Nathanael M. Vlachos, PhD, explore some of the most common reasons employees don’t get the rest they need and recommend three broad areas where HR can intervene: culture, policy and planning. HR is uniquely positioned to build workplace ecosystems that support restful time off and help employees avoid burnout. Below, we describe important interventions that HR can look to in the area of organizational culture, policy and workforce planning.
1. Build a culture that values time off - To build a culture that values time off, enlist leaders to role model the importance of work-life balance and taking time away from work. Executives and other leaders play an important role in shaping organizational culture because they are highly visible to employees and their example sends a clear message. Support this top-down advocacy with messaging from HR about the value of time off and how employees can use their time off benefits to support their wellbeing.
2. Support time off with policy - Broadly, it’s worth revisiting whether your time off policies are still meeting employee needs and keeping you competitive as an employer. Use employee listening methods like focus groups or an engagement survey to find out how employees tend to use their PTO and whether there are any pain points that you can address with new policies.
3. Plan for employee time off - Ideally, your staffing should account for employees taking time off and provide enough coverage to avoid significant disruption when employees in key roles step away. If you have access to analytics, use them to discover trends in time off usage and make data-driven decisions around it.
Read more at HR Executive
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10 New Strategies To Improve Occupational Safety
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With workplace fatalities rising in several sectors and engagement declining, it is clear that conventional approaches to safety have reached their limits. Innovative companies and EHS professionals recognize that maintaining the status quo is not enough. Continuing the same practices will not bring about change; the systems within your organization are responsible for the results you see today. To achieve transformation, a shift in thinking and approaches is essential.
To truly prevent harm and strengthen culture, safety leaders and senior executives must start asking a new type of question: What are the creative, underexplored ways to enhance occupational safety that we haven’t even begun discussing yet? Here are ten innovative strategies—some influenced by related fields such as neuroscience, AI, organizational psychology and narrative design—that offer fresh, underutilized approaches to improving safety, culture and performance throughout an organization.
Read more at EHS Today
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The Law of 1,000 Conversations: What If Connection, Not Time, Was the True Path to Mastery?
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Malcolm Gladwell famously suggested that mastery requires 10,000 hours. If greatness is your goal, the secret is simply practice, repetition and sustained effort. And he isn’t wrong; mastery undeniably demands dedication, discipline and the relentless ticking of the clock. But lately, I’ve begun to question whether this narrative is complete. Time alone is a blunt, unforgiving metric. It captures effort spent but rarely measures transformation gained. It quantifies activity, not necessarily impact. It’s blind to the subtle shifts in the human spirit.
What if the most profound measure of mastery isn’t measured in hours of isolated repetition but in meaningful conversations? What if our growth isn’t merely cultivated by solitary sweat and effort, but by deep, intentional human connections? What if, instead of 10,000 solitary hours dedicated to a craft, we embraced 1,000 purposeful human interactions? Conversations where our guard drops, where we don’t just speak but truly listen, where we ask questions that stretch our understanding and inspire vulnerability.
Every one of us walks a delicate tightrope between our present self and the person we aspire to become. I believe the gap between these two points isn’t bridged by certificates, textbooks or carefully curated LinkedIn profiles. It’s filled with human experience, vulnerability and emotional exchanges. Maybe the shortest and most effective path isn’t found in professional accolades, but around a humble dinner table.
Read more at Rolling Stone
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Beyond The Hop: With Economic Tides Shifting, How HR Can Help Employees Climb, Not Quit
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What happens when people want to leave but don’t? HR professionals are dealing with a new kind of workplace reality: disengaged employees who feel stuck. As Jill Stefaniak, chief learning officer at learning management system Litmos, puts it, “It’s not that they’re loyal; they’re just staying put because the outside options aren’t all that appealing right now.” That leaves HR facing a tough question: How do you tell the difference between a temporarily “grouchy” employee and one who’s truly misaligned with your company’s values? And what’s the smarter investment: training them up or showing them the door?
“Disengagement doesn’t always mean it’s time to cut someone loose,” Stefaniak said. “The key is figuring out if the person is still showing signs of learning agility — curiosity, questions, or even informal upskilling. If they are, there’s still a window to reignite their motivation.” A Litmos Report recommends offering low-stakes training opportunities like microlearning modules or short workshops as a litmus test. Do they reengage or shrug it off? How they respond can guide whether further investment is warranted. Still, not everyone can — or should — be turned around. Chronic cynicism, passive resistance and a lack of accountability are red flags, according to workplace experts. “If an employee’s actions routinely contradict your organization’s mission, no training course is going to fix that,” Stefaniak said. “You’re looking at a deeper cultural mismatch.”
Read more at WorkLife
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iCIMS June Labor Market Insights – Job Seekers Continue To Lean In, But Employers Are Pulling Back.
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The gap between candidate interest and employer action is widening, signaling a market that’s out of sync. Employers are likely holding back due to broader concerns — from inflation and interest rates to rising operational costs and new tariff pressures. Candidate activity is up: Job applications have climbed 21% year over year, influenced by economic uncertainty, growing layoff fears and a wave of new grads entering the market.
- New grads are entering a high-pressure labor market where opportunity exists but so does intense competition to land a job. Entry-level applications rose 22% from May 2024 to May 2025 as urgency grew among new grads to secure roles.
- Recruiters are evolving into strategic talent advisors, looking to make smarter hiring decisions — not rushed ones. When iCIMS asked recruiters about their entry-level hiring plans, 33% said they plan to pause or slow hiring, while an equal share plan to open new roles (33%) or prioritize internal hires over bringing in fresh talent (33%).
- Greater competition for jobs and more strategic hiring are raising the bar for new grads to get noticed. In May, entry -level job openings received an average of 36 applicants per opening (APO), a 22% uptick from the previous year. The overall job market saw a similar jump, with an 18% increase in APO year over year.
- Entry-level applications for manufacturing jobs are climbing, up 37% year over year. Salary. Stability. Skills. With volatility dominating the labor market, stability and a focus on skills could be drawing new grads to toolbelt jobs with high earning potential — like electricians.
Read the Report
Learn more about the Council of Industry’s Manufacturing Career Hub Driven By iCIMS
Check out the MIAP Apprentice Program
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Council of Industry Insight Exchange
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Insight Exchange, Season 1 Episode 8:
Navigating IT and OT: Strategies for Secure and Compliant Factory Networks - Presented by Trout Software
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In this episode of Insight Exchange, Florian Doumenc from Trout Software delves into the growing complexities and security challenges at the intersection of IT and OT in modern factories. Florian shares practical insights on creating secure, compliant, and efficient networks tailored for today's interconnected industrial environment. Key topics include network segmentation, zero trust architecture, and best practices for managing and protecting operational technology.
About Trout
Trout is an innovative software platform designed to simplify and streamline workforce management for manufacturers. With tools that automate apprenticeship tracking, compliance, and reporting, Trout helps organizations save time, stay organized, and focus on growing their workforce.
Learn More
Trout: https://trout.software/
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