Editor's Note: Download the audio version below.
Welcome to another episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing, a podcast where I interview young workers about their jobs in the manufacturing industry and what they look for from an employer.
For this episode, I welcome Davis Latham, a 24-year-old vice president of operations at CADmore, a design and engineering company that helps customers with a range of services related to manufacturing and product development
Latham was not specifically looking to work in the design and engineering field after graduating college. However, he ended up working for nearly three years at ZVerse, a developer of software applications that enables digital manufacturing, and served as special projects coordinator, senior manager of operations and director of business development.
Latham became vice president of operations at CADmore after it acquired and rebranded the ZVerse design business. He currently oversees all the day-to-day operations of the business, including about 30 designers and a three-person project management team. He also acts as an intermediary between the design team, the project managers and customers.
Before we hear from Latham, please make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please contact me, Nolan Beilstein, at [email protected].
In this episode, Latham discusses:
- Handling a vice president role at a young age (1:13)
- How Gen Z interacts with older generations in the workplace (2:02)
- Having authority over older workers (4:00)
- Making up for lack of experience in the industry (4:59)
- How employers can bridge a generational gap in their workforce (6:07)
- Mentorship and guidance employers can give (7:29)
- Common critiques Gen Z has regarding how they are treated in the workplace (8:16)
- How Gen Z contributes in ways older generations had not considered (9:10)
- How employers can attract and retain Gen Z talent (10:43)
- How generations are perceived by age (12:02)
- Best way to train Gen Z (13:49)
Gen Z in Manufacturing Episodes
- Ep. 1: Gen Z Just Wants to Work Differently
- Ep. 2: Interacting with Older Generations
- Ep. 3: Young Workers Have Been Programmed to Handle Cobots
- Ep. 4: Employers Should Put Emphasis on 'We Will Train You'
- Ep. 5: Young Workers Can Challenge the Traditional Process
Please make sure to like and share this episode of Gen Z in Manufacturing. If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please contact Nolan Beilstein at [email protected].
