LISTEN: Gen Z in Manufacturing: The Secret to Helping Young Machinists Fall in Love With the Shop Floor

Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I talk to young people about their journeys in manufacturing, how they intend to influence the industry and what they are looking for from an employer.For this episode, I welcome Colton Harnar, a 29-year-old CNC programmer for SendCutSend, an on-demand, custom sheet metal and CNC machining manufacturing company. Harnar has been in the machining industry for 10 years and CNC programming for five years. He started as an entry level CNC operator in a shop at a foundry, gained experience with more involved and complicated setup work and later learned how to program. His current position consists of CNC programming for mainly 5-axis milling machines, implementing and improving processes and dialing in new tools and machines.In this episode, Harnar discusses:(1:05) Why Gen Z’s main priority is not a paycheck(5:36) How to make a good impression on young workers(10:26) The secret method to retaining employees(14:33) What Gen Z will tell their kids about manufacturing as a career