Everyone has heard – if not lived – the story of what happened to a lot of Michigan’s highly skilled workers when the economy tanked: they left. A side of the story that is less told is that of who stuck around, and how they benefited from doing so.
“As the economy picks back up there is a real demand to get those technical resources back,” says Shana Welch, manager of
Control System Integrators’ Staffing Division. “There is a real shortage of technical resources in Michigan right now.”
And now CSI, a Lansing-based automation engineering company of more than 20 years, is responding to that demand with a hiring spree. The firm, which includes an engineering company, a staffing service and a control panel shop, has grown its total internal staff by 10 percent over the last year and soon will grow their 50-person staff by another seven to nine employees.
“All three of our companies are struggling to keep up with all the work that is coming in,” says Welch.
In addition to permanent staff, CSI also employs contractors, the number of which are currently employed is up by 20 percent over last year, and another 50 will be added in the near future. Open positions available though their staffing service is up by 25 percent.
CSI is also rolling out a new mentorship program for engineering graduates in February. The program will be an accelerated apprenticeship program in which grads will gain the equivalent of five years’ experience in two.
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.