“Candidly, looking at how we as an industry are faring, my fear is that we are falling dangerously behind in the war for talent,” said Barbara R. Smith, CMC chairman of the board, president and chief executive. 

Delivering the keynote William T. Hogan, S.J. Memorial Lecture at AISTech 2022 on Tuesday, Smith issued a call to arms to industry colleagues, saying they must make a much more persuasive pitch to young workers who are looking for meaningful careers that can shape society.

The good news, she said, is that industry offers just such an opportunity, and a highly compelling one at that. 

“The opportunity is nothing less than to be a part of the ongoing transformation of one of the most critical industries on earth, and in doing so, to protect and preserve the planet for generations to come, if not millennia,” Smith said. 

“If purpose-driven, environmentally concerned and technologically savvy young people today are searching for a way to make a real, tangible, lasting difference, then why wouldn’t they want to join our industry?”

However, the steel industry must find a way to change the narrative about itself, she said, shifting portrayals away from it once was – belching smokestacks and sooty furnaces – to what it is today: a maker of an essential material and a potential catalyst for the decarbonization of all manufacturing. 

To do that, the industry has to become its own best advocate, she said. 

“It is becoming increasingly clear that our reticence to tell our story – to showcase the progress we’ve made, to be honest about the challenges we still face and the opportunity that exists to overcome them – is holding us back,” she said.

“It has allowed an outdated image and vision of us to become fixed in the popular imagination. It has allowed the voice of some activists to take away the power of our actions. Our reticence is hurting us and will only get worse if we don’t do something about it.” 

You can watch her full speech here.