A new veterans training program has been launched by The Manufacturing Institute. Named Heroes MAKE America, it is being held at Fort Riley, Kansas. This is a full-time, 10-week career skills program that launched in conjunction with the U.S. Army Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program also located at Fort Riley and the USO Pathfinder Program. The new program was created to help transitioning service members develop highly sought after qualifications and industry-specific certifications necessary for today’s manufacturing workforce.
The core values of military experience and training that make the U.S.A.’s soldiers some of the best in the world are already highly sought after by manufacturers. Teamwork, commitment, communication and critical thinking skills are all necessary to complete any task in the military but are also essential to any job in the manufacturing industry. Heroes MAKE America wants to open a path for transitioning soldiers to jump into this critical sector. The Manufacturing Institute intends to focus on hard to fill production jobs with the help of our service members.
This is critical for today’s industry with more than 80% of manufacturers reporting a talent shortage in the United States. Meanwhile, almost 200,000 service men and women return home annually, bringing with them not only a strong work ethic and character skills but also thorough technical training and experience. Recently, experts have estimated that over the next decade manufacturers will be unable to fill over 2 million open positions, on top of the 400,000 that are currently vacant. Military veterans already have the proper leadership training and the Heroes MAKE America program is going to ensure they have the right skills to begin a fruitful and fulfilling manufacturing career.
Some manufacturers such as Caterpillar, Koch Industries, Arconic, Parker Hannifin Corporation as well as many others have already shown their commitment to the Heroes MAKE America program by hiring veterans upon their completion of the 10-week training program.
“Heroes MAKE America not only supports our nation’s heroes during their transition to civilian employment but also allows companies to reduce on-the-job training expenses and enhance productivity,” said Manufacturing Institute Executive Director Carolyn Lee. “Hiring veterans who have earned these key credentials (or who have learned these key skills) is good business, and with this program, manufacturers in Kansas and across the country will have a pipeline of talented workers coming their way.” (http://bit.ly/2DxKwQt)
This program is an amazing way for manufacturers to help close the skills gap and support veterans at the same time. The hard and soft skills that come with military training make veterans indispensable to the manufacturing workforce. Manufacturing Talk Radio will keep a close eye on the Heroes MAKE America program so be sure to check back for more information as the progress continues to progress.
Source:
www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/News-Articles/2018/01/22-HMA-Launch.aspx
