Metalforming Educational Foundation awards $25,000 in grants.
Press Release Summary:
Supporting metalforming workforce, PMAEF Board of Trustees awarded $5,000 to Friends of the Workforce Investment Board for replication of M-Powered program, which prepares workers for skilled jobs in metalforming. National Institute for Metalworking Skills received $10,000 to support Precision Machining Technology competition at 2008 SkillsUSA competition, and $10,000 went to WIRE-Net to support "School-to-Career: Youth and Adults Forging Careers in the Metals Sectors" initiative.
Original Press Release:
Metalforming Educational Foundation Awards $25,000 in Grants
CLEVELAND, OH-June 3, 2008-The Precision Metalforming Association Educational Foundation (PMAEF) Board of Trustees has awarded a total of $25,000 in grants to three programs created to enhance the U.S. metalforming workforce. The PMAEF trustees awarded:
o $5,000 to Friends of the Workforce Investment Board, St. Paul, MN, for the replication of the successful M-Powered program. M-Powered began in 2004 as a collaborative effort of Hennepin Community College, HIRED and the PMA Twin Cities District to prepare workers for high-paying, skilled jobs in metalforming. The new initiative will bring a similar program to the east side of the Twin Cities Metro area.
o $10,000 to the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) to support the Precision Machining Technology competition at the 2008 SkillsUSA competition, which brings state champions together to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.
o $10,000 to WIRE-Net, Cleveland, OH, to support its "School-to-Career: Youth and Adults Forging Careers in the Metals Sectors" initiative. The award will be targeted toward the School-to-Career and Project HIP HOP programs. The School-to-Career program works closely with students at Cleveland's Max Hayes Vocational High School to help them navigate from an education in manufacturing to a career in manufacturing. First-year Project HIP HOP (Helping to Improve Post-High Occupational Progress) targets Cleveland's at-risk young adults in danger of becoming permanently detached from the labor market; Project HIP HOP helps them gain access to resources needed for a career in manufacturing.
PMAEF is accepting grant applications from organizations whose initiatives, programs and services promote, enhance and/or support the development of a metalforming workforce in the United States. The deadline to apply for the next grant cycle is October 1, 2008. PMAEF grants typically average $10,000 per request granted. Interested parties can download an application at www.pmaef.org or contact Amy Thacker at 216-901-8800.
Established in 1996, the PMA Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization dedicated to the promotion and development of a skilled workforce for the metalforming industry. PMAEF operates as a supporting organization to the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA).
PMA is the full-service trade association representing the $91-billion metalforming industry of North America-the industry that creates precision metal products using stamping, fabricating and other value-added processes. Its nearly 1,200 member companies include metal stampers, fabricators, spinners, slide formers and roll formers as well as suppliers of equipment, materials and services to the industry. Members are located in 30 countries, with the majority found in North America¯in 41 states of the United States as well as Canada and Mexico.
