Welcome to a World-Class Workforce

The greater Wichita region’s labor force is highly skilled, in large part due to the high concentration of nearly 900 manufacturing firms in the area using high-technology design and production methods. Area manufacturers utilize precision production skills to produce high-value-added products such as industrial-commercial machinery, computer equipment, fabricated metal products, instrumentation and controls, photographic equipment, plastic and composite products, chemicals, petroleum refining equipment and electronic equipment.

• Our highly skilled workforce is why so many world-class companies across a variety of industries are located here, including Cargill Protein, Koch Industries, Spirit AeroSystems and Textron Aviation.
• Fortune 50 company Deloitte operates a 60,000-square-foot Smart Factory on Wichita State University Innovation Campus. The facility features an end-to-end smart production line, space for smart ecosystem sponsors and experimental labs, helping companies explore what is possible with smart factory applications and enabling them to create sustainable smart manufacturing investments.
• The Wichita State University National Institute for Research and Digital Transformation (NIRDT) is an interconnected business solution provider and research consortium dedicated to accelerating the research and development of new and innovative digital technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning and cyber security.
• Manufacturing accounts for 17.46% of Wichita metro area employment – nearly double the national percentage (9.9%). (U.S. Census Bureau)
• Of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas – Wichita ranks No. 4 in manufacturing jobs as a percentage of all jobs. (Lightcast)
• Greater Wichita ranks No. 1 in the percent of manufacturing jobs classified as “very high-tech.” (Lightcast) 
• Kansas is one of only ten constitutional right-to-work states in the U.S.