One of the problems with getting the younger generation of workers to embrace factory work is that it has the reputation of being hard, dirty work. We need a way to change the reputation of manufacturing and make it more appealing to younger workers. A reality show or a weekly TV drama series set in a factory would make manufacturing jobs more enticing in a heartbeat.
If there’s anything that can induce excitement or even glorification, it’s a little production value. A montage with a little musical accompaniment is a surefire way to jazz up even the most mundane task.
There are reality shows based on shopping, driving, being a housewife, and being on a boat. Those things are not inherently interesting. Unless you’re extremely passionate about one of those things, you probably wouldn’t be enthralled to hear someone drone on about the specifics. And yet millions watch these things on TV.
It wouldn’t take much for a Reality show or TV drama to get people excited about manufacturing. There are shows that engage people with what some lady’s neighbor said or what’s going on in some office or people placing parking tickets on cars. Factories are already way more exciting than that!
The loud whirs and clicks and lightning fast movement of the machinery alone is enough to get your blood flowing. Those are true sensory stimulants. Which is more exciting: a snail or a cheetah? A whisper or a crack of lightning? Fast and loud are naturally appealing.
Then there’s the interpersonal drama. The engineers, the Quality Assurance team, and the operators can surely work up a little resentment of one another, if only for the cameras. We can imagine the episode where it’s discovered that the workers have sabotaged the safety features in order to keep production up — or the one where the engineers discover the Indramat drives, installed back in 1983, for the first time.
Throw a little studio magic into the mix and a show about manufacturing could be the next big thing!
If reality shows can get people dreaming of becoming lobster fishermen and truck drivers, there’s no question they can get people excited about manufacturing jobs!