Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast that asks 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 Aleigha Schulke, a 27-year-old applications engineer for ANCA CNC Machines.

Schulke’s interest in manufacturing began in high school when a paperwork mixup enrolled her in metal machining classes at a technical education center. Schulke previously worked for an aerospace and defense company that used ANCA cutter grinders and admitted to only briefly knowing about the company. 

A recruiter reached out to her about a position at ANCA, and after what she calls a “marathon of an interview,” Schulke began working at ANCA as an applications engineer where her duties consist of completing time studies for customers and potential customers, performing machine demonstrations, and teaching basic and advanced cutter grinder courses.

In this episode, Schulke discusses:

• Why companies are losing Gen Z workers
• How to interview Gen Z
• Valuing quality of life over a paycheck
• Embracing non-traditional gender roles
• Behaviors and comments that seem good-natured, but actually deter women from going into manufacturing 
• Where manufacturing fails to set a boundary between work life and personal life 

Please make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. To view previous episodes, visit manufacturing.net. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please get in touch Nolan Beilstein, at nolan@ien.com.