Obama hosts event with Manufacturing Institute and NAM.
Press Release Summary:
At Northern Virginia Community College, President Obama announced key steps towards building the educated and skilled workforce U.S. manufacturers need to successfully compete in the 21st century economy. Responding to Obama's call to action to employers and community colleges to work together to connect students with jobs, Manufacturing Institute and NAM announced the goal of credentialing 500,000 community college students with skills certifications aligned to manufacturers' hiring needs.
Original Press Release:
President Obama Hosts Event with Manufacturing Institute and NAM
ALEXANDRIA, VA, - Today at Northern Virginia Community College, President Obama announced key steps towards building the educated and skilled workforce U.S. manufacturers need to successfully compete in the 21st century economy. Responding to President Obama's call to action to employers and community colleges to work together to connect students with jobs, The Manufacturing Institute and the National Association of Manufacturers announced the goal of credentialing 500,000 community college students with skills certifications aligned to manufacturers' hiring needs, citing The Manufacturing Institute's NAM-Endorsed Skills Certification System as a national solution and highlighting The Manufacturing Institute's new partnership with the Skills for America's Future initiative.
"In this highly competitive global market, our manufacturers' business success is tied directly to their ability to innovate, and the single most important factor in their innovation capacity is an educated and skilled workforce," said Emily Stover DeRocco, president, The Manufacturing Institute. "We know that most manufacturing jobs today require skills learned beyond high school, primarily in community colleges. And we now have a system of Manufacturing Skills Certifications - standards of learning - that are being integrated into community college programs of study."
The President said that strong partnerships between manufacturers and community colleges to make these manufacturing credentials available nationwide supports the goal of providing 500,000 more skilled workers for the manufacturing industry within the next 5 years.
The Manufacturing Skills Certification System is managed by The Manufacturing Institute, the non-profit organization affiliated with the National Association of Manufacturers - the nation's largest industrial trade association. Partners in the skills certification system include ACT, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the American Welding Society, the National Institute of Metalworking Skills, and the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council.
"As students and transitioning workers acquire these manufacturing skills credentials in community college programs of study, they also accumulate credits toward an associates or higher college degree, strengthening our STEM-capable workforce," said DeRocco. "These credentials become educational pathways to new careers, and can even lead students on to engineering technology degrees and careers to create the next new products in automobiles, alternative energy, or aerospace."
The President also announced key new business-education partnerships involving major manufacturing companies and non-profit organizations:
About The Manufacturing Institute
The Manufacturing Institute (the Institute) is the 501 (c) 3 affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. As a non-partisan organization, the Institute is committed to delivering leading-edge information and services to the nation's manufacturers. The Institute focuses on developing human capital strategies through education reform and workforce development, conducting applied research to provide critical information to public policy makers on challenges and opportunities for today's industry, and advancing the innovation capacity of manufacturers operating in a global market.