Training Program Prepares Veterans for Manufacturing Jobs

Get Skills to Work coalition will focus on skills training for US veterans.

The Manufacturing Institute joined GE, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Alcoa and other business, digital, academic, and not-for-profit partners to launch a new coalition that aims to train military veterans for jobs in advanced manufacturing, bolster the talent pipeline and enhance American competitiveness.

The Get Skills to Work coalition will focus on accelerating skills training for US veterans; helping veterans and employers translate military skills to in-demand advanced manufacturing positions; and, empowering employers with tools to recruit, onboard, and mentor veterans.

The Manufacturing Institute adopted many of the Right Skills Now model program features into the Get Skills to Work system. A Joyce Foundation grant to the Manufacturing Institute piloted Right Skills Now in Minnesota, where the Institute designed and set in place accelerated programs in metalworking and machining skills. Employers and community-based organizations assisted in recruiting students and transitioning workers to enroll in Right Skills Now. The Minnesota model program is being adopted elsewhere—Nevada and, soon, Michigan.

Training is most valuable when it leads directly to an available job. By promoting industry training partnerships, the Joyce Foundation works to ensure training aligns with local job opportunities. Specifically, the Foundation supports expanding partnerships between industry associations or groups of businesses and educational organizations to create and promote career advancement opportunities.

Grants encourage development and promotion of industry-recognized credentials that help low-skilled workers advance in the labor market. The Foundation also supports research into the return on investment relating to employer-sponsored skill development programs.

The Manufacturing Institute is the non-partisan affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. The Institute is the leading research, education, workforce, and service group supporting US manufacturers.

Learn More
Manufacturing Institute Skills Gap Report
USA Today: Teach for the Future: Closing job skills gap
US Department of Labor press release
Business Insider: The Manufacturing Industry Is Looking To Get Real Cozy With Returning Vets
 

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