PTION OF AN INDUSTRY Flex-Cell and fellow manufacturers are teaming up to change the way people see their industry. Already facing a worker shortage, the industry is now facing thousands of retirements over the next decade. So they're trying to show off what they do and sell their job opportunities to the next generation. MIND THE (SKILLS) GAP It is hard to overstate the importance of manufacturing to the Lancaster County economy. According to the PA Department of Labor and Industry, manufacturing is the second-largest industry in the county, behind healthcare. It employs nearly 16 percent of the workforce and pays nearly 20 percent of all wages, with average salaries nearly 20 percent higher than the median Lancaster County family's income. The Economic Development Company of Lancaster County says manufacturing accounts for $12 billion in annual sales. Yet job openings go unfilled. From 2014-2016, more than 3,700 companies with more than 6,000 jobs were recruiting graduates of the manufacturing division at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, one of the region's only feeder schools. That's more than 15 jobs per graduate over that time span. It's the phenomenon commonly known as the Skills Gap. And there are more storm clouds on the horizon: CareerLink reports that 29 percent of the county's manufacturing employees are 55 or older. Nationwide, LancasterChamber.com 13http://www.LancasterChamber.com