Factories across the country need workers. Good jobs are opening up right here in Topeka too. But most young people are not lining up to take them. SENT wants to help change that.
Why Manufacturing Jobs Are Harder to Fill
National research helps explain why. Manufacturing jobs in the United States dropped by one-third between 1968 and 2024. Even with that drop, these jobs still make up about 9 percent of all private sector jobs in the country.
One big reason is age. One in four manufacturing workers today is 55 years old or older. Many of them will retire soon. Not enough young workers are stepping in to take their place.
Fewer young people are choosing this kind of work than in the past. In 1970, one in five young workers had a manufacturing job. Today, only one in twelve do.
Why Young Workers Are Staying Away
Why are young workers staying away? Many think factory work means unsafe conditions or a job with no future. Research shows that today’s factories often look very different. Many now use new technology, offer real safety training, and give workers a clear path to move up.
What This Looks Like in Shawnee County
Shawnee County is feeling this same shift. Big employers like Goodyear, Mars Wrigley, Frito-Lay, and Bimbo Bakeries all need workers. So do other local manufacturers, including Innovia Medical, HF Rubber Machinery, Great Plains Manufacturing, Josten’s, and PTMW. Many of these jobs require training, but they pay well and offer real room to grow.
How SENT Is Helping Students Get Ready
SENT is working to help our neighbors reach these jobs. Through Campus Connections, students get to see what modern manufacturing actually looks like. They learn that these are not the same jobs their grandparents worked. Today’s factory jobs are safer, use new tools, and offer a real career path forward.
How SENT Is Helping Adults Get Ready
SENT’s Workforce Development program helps adults get ready for these careers too. This is more than job training. It includes support with transportation, child care, and mental health, the same wraparound care found across every SENT program. Removing these everyday barriers helps our neighbors stay in a job long enough to build a career, not just start one.
Learn More
Learn more about SENT’s Workforce Development and Campus Connections programs at senttopeka.com/workforce-development or senttopeka.com/campus-connections.
Works Cited
- (The Evolution of US Manufacturing, WorkRise, 2025: https://www.workrisenetwork.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/theevolutionofusmanufacturing.pdf)
- (Why Fewer Young Americans Are Working in Manufacturing, WorkRise, 2025: https://www.workrisenetwork.org/sites/default/files/2025-12/whyfeweryoungamericansareworkinginmanufacturing.pdf)