Organizations to Work Together to Support Early Career Engineers and Manufacturers

SME, the professional association committed to advancing manufacturing and developing a skilled workforce, and Women in Manufacturing (WiM), a trade association dedicated to supporting, promoting, and inspiring women who have chosen a career in manufacturing, announced today a reciprocal student membership program. The reciprocal memberships allow students pursuing education in manufacturing-related fields to pay one $40 fee to become student members of both associations, with access to the resources and network of both.

“SME and Women in Manufacturing each understand that attracting and supporting early career professionals into manufacturing is key to our industry’s continued growth,” said Bob Willig, Executive Director and CEO of SME. “Our reciprocal membership agreement will help hundreds, even thousands of students to begin their careers and infuse fresh energy into our industry, and we’re proud to partner with WiM to expand our mutual support of these audiences.”

An early example of the benefits of this reciprocal agreement will come this fall. On November 3, SME will conduct a virtual resume review for all members, with specific guidance for students and early career professionals from career development experts. Student members of both WiM and SME have access to this resume session. Then, on December 2, WiM will conduct one of its semi-annual virtual career fairs, featuring access to hiring and HR managers from more than 40 companies looking to land new talent. For students, especially December graduates, this provides a perfect opportunity to professional resume review followed shortly after by the opportunity to use those polished resumes to land a position in manufacturing.

“Women in Manufacturing and SME have each worked tirelessly to provide personal and professional development opportunities to students of all ages in manufacturing,” said Allison Grealis, President of Women in Manufacturing. “We appreciate SME’s extension of its resources to help our members, and we’re glad to share our resources with SME’s members. Together, we can have a significant impact on the manufacturing workforce.”

Other benefits now available to student members of both organizations include:

• Access to exclusive newsletters, webinars, and podcasts from both WiM and SME
• Job boards and access to hiring employers
• Discounted registration to regional and national SME and WiM events
• Expanded networks of peers to share information and experience