This year, the Manufacturing Institute’s (the workforce development and education partner of the National Association of Manufacturers) second annual employer-led Workforce Summit focused on elevating innovative solutions to address key workforce development challenges and opportunities facing modern manufacturing. As employers continue to engage in important conversations about how to build a workforce for the future, ICPF would like to highlight national resources and solutions discussed at the Summit which may be helpful for our corporate partners and their hiring needs.
- FAME Program
The Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) is an advanced manufacturing workforce education and development run by the Manufacturing Institute with locations in 12 states. FAME provides global-best workforce development through strong technical training, integration of manufacturing core competencies, intensive professional practices and intentional hands-on experience to build the future of the modern manufacturing industry. The Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program administered under the FAME model leverages a work/learn framework to weave technical knowledge, professional behaviors and distinct manufacturing core exercises into a focused co-op experience to build global-best, entry-level, multi-skilled maintenance technicians.
The FAME model facilitates employer-led partnerships between your company and local educational institutions and establishes a channel for recruiting diverse, high-achieving and career-oriented students. Once established, the cooperative of local employers that make up the FAME Chapter will generate a continuous pipeline of skilled technicians through the AMT program. Interested employers can join a local chapter or start your own if there isn’t one already in your area. To learn more about FAME or get started today, click here.
- Get Connected with your state Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)
MEP is a public-private partnership with Centers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers. The MEP National NetworkTM offers an extensive range of workforce services and resources that address every stage of the employee lifecycle. Services include talent assessment and planning, attraction and recruitment, training and development for production workers as well as leadership, employee engagement and retention, and more broadly creating an effective organizational culture to become an employer of choice. - Heroes MAKE America Program
The Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America program provides integrated certification and career-readiness training in partnership with local community colleges to prepare transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard members, reservists and military spouses for rewarding careers in manufacturing. With backgrounds that often include significant experience in advanced technology, former service members are ideal candidates for manufacturing careers and poised to be natural leaders in the manufacturing industry. The Manufacturing Institute prepares these individuals for careers in modern manufacturing and encourages outstanding companies to harness their skills. For more information on this program, click here.
In addition to the above programs and services, the Summit spent a lot of time reiterating the importance of company culture to retain employees. The willingness to be flexible was highlighted as an effective strategy to building a strong company culture in the eyes of employees. To attract the next generation of students and job seekers, employers’ success often lies in their ability to adapt in response to employee needs and strengths. Potential solutions to offer flexibility to workers were mentioned at the Summit: MyWorkChoice and Veryable were both mentioned as options to bridge businesses retaining frontline workers with employees who wants jobs with flexibility. These alternatives to traditional staffing agencies offer an on-demand marketplace for manufacturing labor so companies can easily create a labor pool and increase employee retention and tenure by giving workers the ability to take time off and not disrupt workflow.
As you and your hiring team continue to explore local and national workforce solutions, remember that ICPF is here to help every step of the way. ICPF will continue to inform you of potential partnerships that can provide solutions to your workforce needs. Thank you for your continued support.