Forklift News - Association bridges student-employer gap

Mike Romano

In an effort to draw more young people to the materials handling industry, the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (MHEDA) has included a resume bank and job listings section on its new webpage.

Named "Gateway" for its purpose in linking students to materials handling professionals, the web page and program have features for students, academic advisors and industry professionals.

Mike Romano, chairman of MHEDA's industry advocacy committee, says the program, that was launched in New York at Clarkson University of Potsdam’s Careers Fair, is one of MHEDA’s most exciting accomplishments.

"We are all vying for new talent in this industry and recruitment of employees is an ongoing struggle. Part of our challenge is that material handling is a ‘hidden’ industry, particularly when it comes to students entering the job market."

In the "Student section", visitors are told that every product they "have ever used, from televisions to tennis shoes" has been touched by the materials handling industry and that the industry employs over 700,000 people.

Visitors curious about the materials handling industry can click on a link to a 12-minute video presentation produced by Material Handling Industry of America. Those serious about joining the industry can view industry job descriptions along with corresponding salary ranges on the site.

The resume bank currently lists over 90 resumes of students and graduates looking for jobs, internships and co-operative opportunities.

Academic advisors can access teaching materials including a comprehensive multimedia bank containing photos and videos of materials handling equipment, systems and interfaces. Other classroom tools, teaching materials and case studies are also available.

Industry professionals can search the resume bank for talent or post job advertisements.

An article by Mike Ensby, director of Clarkson’s graduate program in engineering and global operations management, provides advice on internship and co-operative programs at companies.

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