Our View: Starting early vital in interesting students in rubber sector

There's the old adage that once you enter the rubber industry, you never leave. Of course, the problem is getting someone to enter the sector in the first place.

For years, rubber industry leaders have been combating the image that the business is an "old, dirty industry," with nothing exciting going on. The fact that the stereotypes largely are no longer valid doesn't necessarily make them disappear, but it does require those in the business to get creative in their recruitment efforts.

One tactic that has gained traction in recent years is to start early, planting the seeds that the tire and rubber business can bring excellent career opportunities. How early? High school and college are the obvious choices, but don't think that elementary school is too soon.

Lakisha Miller-Barclay, executive director and CEO of the ACS Rubber Division, knows that it's never too soon to make a lasting first impression. Or what will stick in a kid's memory over time.

In fact, when asking people in the industry today what got them interested in rubber, she says it's often something similar to activities the Rubber Division is offering. It could be the bouncy ball the high school students made during the International Elastomer Conference in Knoxville, Tenn., that they remember. Or the race car kit that Akron Rubber Development Laboratory helped develop for a partnership with a local school that sticks in the mind of a fifth grader who participated.

A teacher at the Akron-area school that worked with ARDL said when engineers come and tell the students about different jobs in the industry, it helps illustrate what a job in a STEM field may be in the real world.

The Rubber Division only drew about a dozen students to its outreach program the final day of the Knoxville IEC, largely because the event coincided with the fall break at schools in the area. But that also showed that those who did attend really wanted to be there.

It's events like the outreach at the IEC—which focused on teaching about materials, mixing and molding, and testing—that can plant the seed that could lead a student into the rubber industry someday. "This sort of out-of-the-box learning experience is so much more valuable for some kids who just don't … know where their spark is yet," the teacher said.

Miller-Barclay also relayed the story of two college students who volunteered at the IEC. On the final day, they told her they wanted to continue being involved in the rubber industry, and they wanted to come back to the conference after graduating. The Rubber Division executive director said that when they get a response like that, those in the industry need to be diligent to ensure they have the opportunities and exposure that would lead them to careers in the business.

It's also important that the industry not just aim its initiatives at those studying chemical engineering or those with polymer backgrounds. There are plenty of opportunities to cross over into other disciplines to show students how they may fit into the rubber business.

Following the IEC, the response from one student is all the Rubber Division could hope for. "I didn't realize how much rubber there was in, like, everyday life," the student said. "Instead of just car tires, it's everywhere. …It's pretty cool."

Now that's an image the rubber industry could live with.