Manufacturers in Georgia are launching an effort to change perceptions about their sector among students and other young people, with an eye on attracting their future workforce.

The Georgia Association of Manufacturers is launching a $1 million, four-year effort for a digital platform envisioned as similar to a LinkedIn for manufacturers in the state and job seekers.

The group is partnering with online job skills marketplace Unmudl to develop a platform that will list job postings, youth apprenticeships, training programs and “insights into the modern age of manufacturing.”

From smoke stacks to high-tech manufacturing

“For too long, we’ve painted manufacturing as dark and gloomy, when today the industry is vibrant, clean and brimming with innovation,” Georgia Association of Manufacturers President Lloyd Avram said in a written statement. He said the aim of the platform is to change perception “with social medialike functionality that communicates simply and clearly to all generations.”

Stephanie Scearce, the association’s vice president of workforce innovation, said some people “think of us as the Industrial Revolution still, to some degree, like the smoke stacks and dark, dirty manufacturing floors.”

“That was probably a true story about 50, 60 years ago. But you know, manufacturing is definitely evolved into a totally, completely different picture, just given all the advancements and technologies these days,” Scearce said.

The association has major manufacturers among its members that are founding partners, including Kia Georgia in West Point, Toyo Tires in Bartow County, glass fabrication line manufacturer Grenzebach in Newnan and flooring makers Shaw Industries and Engineered Floors in Dalton.

“Kia Georgia is thankful for GAM’s (the Georgia Association of Manufacturers’) commitment to combating the false stigma of the 4 D’s: that manufacturing is dull, dirty, dangerous and dead-end,” Kia Georgia CEO Stuart Countess said in a written statement.

Manufacturing across the state includes large and small companies, with a total of nearly 427,000 workers, according to the association.

Manufacturers will have profiles on the site along with job listings, and high school and college students — and their parents — will also be able to set up profiles.

Range of jobs, pay

Schools can also have pages on the platform with information on the career pathways they offer in manufacturing, including relevant engineering and computer science programs.

“Regardless of what your niche is, there is a place for you in manufacturing,” Scearce said. “People don’t realize, ‘Oh, I don’t have to work with my hands to be in manufacturing,‘” she said.

There are also jobs in manufacturing in human resources, information technology, logistics and supply chain, she said. Some manufacturers, for instance, have nurses on site.

But the highest demand for jobs in manufacturing is for maintenance technicians, Scearce said.

The median pay for manufacturing in Georgia is about $19 an hour for production workers, she said. Maintenance technician jobs pay a median of about $25 an hour, she said. Some other professions in manufacturing in management, finance and IT have higher median pay.

July target date

The association plans to demonstrate the site to high schools and colleges in coming months, with an eye on launching the digital platform in July.

It is collecting contact information from students or others interested and will contact them when they can create their profiles, Scearce said.

To target students, the site will also include trivia-based games or simulated games to “sort of pique their interest in manufacturing,” Scearce said.

The plan is to offer students and other job seekers free enrollment to the platform. Manufacturers will get free access this year but will have to pay a subscription fee starting in 2026.

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