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CWWK Seminars-at-a-Glance

Beginning in the 1970s America’s high-paying manufacturing jobs in the steel, textile, electronics and automotive industries relocated first south to Latin America and then east to Asia.

In what some dubbed “a global race to the bottom,” labor rights have dwindled all along the way and the American middle class, long sustained by those manufacturing jobs, finds itself gutted. Now the fate of what is left of the American middle class is at the center of a presidential election and forcing a reexamination of the impact of the global decline of labor rights.

But after years of pain for America’s manufacturing sector and its workers, some economists and analysts are wondering if the tide may be turning.

Call it “re-shoring” or “rebalancing” or just “revenge,” but the dynamics of global labor, transportation and productivity costs that eviscerated American manufacturing over the past decade have begun to shift again.

Over the past few years, some key American manufacturers have either brought jobs back to the US from Asia and Latin America, or have made important decisions not to relocate them in the first place.

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WoodIndustryEd.org is targeted to students, educators and industry professionals interested in the wood products manufacturing and related industries. Whether you are seeking to enhance your skills, connect with industry events, locate job listings or compete in a competition, WoodIndustryEd.org is where you can get started.

DID YOU KNOW. . .

• Wood is our most sustainable resource.
• Approximately 10 million skilled worker jobs need to be filled as aging boomers retire.
• The U.S. is the world’s largest manufacturer.
• 91% of students say they would work harder if coursework included hands-on skill classes

Industry-based certifications aim to close skills gap, increase access to employment, and develop future workforce 

The Manufacturing Institute (the Institute) and its partners have announced significant progress towards achieving a five-year goal to  award 500,000 industry-based credentials to individuals, positioning them for employment and advancement in manufacturing jobs. Over the past  year, the certification bodies partnered with the Institute have issued 84,738 certifications to students and incumbent workers that cover in-demand, portable skill-sets necessary across multiple manufacturing sectors.  With as many as 600,000 manufacturing jobs going unfilled today, this is an important step in getting unemployed Americans back to work and maintaining the competitiveness of our manufacturing economy.

“The Institute remains committed to building the educated and skilled workforce our nation’s manufacturers need to stay competitive,” said Jennifer McNelly, president, The Manufacturing Institute.  “We are partnering with world-class industry certification bodies and community colleges, because they can and are delivering  the in-demand skills for today’s innovation and productivity-driven workplaces.”

On June 8, 2011, President Obama announced key steps towards building the educated and skilled workforce U.S. manufacturers need to successfully compete in the 21st century economy, citing The Manufacturing Institute’s Manufacturing Skills Certification System, endorsed by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and the certifications it includes, as a national solution.  The Institute continues to work with high schools, community colleges, and employers to create for-credit education programs incorporating these national certifications so individuals get the skills and hand-on training they need for in-demand entry-level and specialized jobs in manufacturing.

Read the full press release.

 Certifying Talent for Manufacturers

The Institute is working with community colleges to certify individuals with industry-based credentials in for-credit degree programs of study and for-credit fast-track programs that integrate portable credentials, internships, and links to employment.

113 colleges are currently partnering with the Institute to stand up these programs, integrating the industry-endorsed standards and content of world-class certification bodies. 34 state and regional manufacturing associations are partnering with the Institute and endorsing the certification programs as the preferred source for skilled manufacturing talent.

The NAM-Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System is a system of stackable secondary and post-secondary credentials needed to enter and advance in manufacturing careers. These nationally portable, industry-recognized credentials validate the skills and competencies needed to be productive and successful in any manufacturing environment. The credentialing partners that comprise the Skills Certification System are ACT, the American Welding Society, the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, the National Institute of Metalworking Skills, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, International Society of Automation, the Packaging Machinery Manufacturing Institute, the International Fluid Power Society, the National Center for Construction Education and Research, the American Society for Quality, the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, APICS The Association for Operations Management, the American Society of Transportation and Logistics, and the North American Die Casting Association.

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. Visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.org.

The NAM’s A Manufacturing Renaissance: Four Goals for Economic Growth also highlights the importance of closing the skills gap.

The NAM’s four-point plan for economic growth and jobs, which will enable the U.S. to compete and succeed in the global economy.

Goal 1: The United States will be the best place in the world to manufacture and attract foreign direct investment.

Goal 2: The United States will expand access to global markets to enable manufacturers to reach the 95 percent

of consumers who live outside our borders.

Goal 3: Manufacturers in the United States will have the workforce that the 21st-century economy requires.

Goal 4: Manufacturers in the United States will be the world’s leading innovators.

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