Detroit, March 17, 2014Thirty programs throughout the bi-national Great Lakes region have been nominated for recognition by the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council as benchmarks for its Talented Workforce Initiative. All of them will be recognized on June 12 in Detroit at The Big M event celebrating the resurgence of manufacturing, and four will be presented with top awards.
 
“It is a truly impressive list of nominees and proof that educators and trainers are striving to meet the demands of a manufacturing sector rapidly transforming into knowledge-based enterprises,” said Ed Wolking, Jr., President of the Council.
 
The Council created its Talented Workforce Initiative to identify the most imaginative and effective solutions for building the region’s pool of manufacturing talent. The goal of the Council’s far-ranging outreach is to share the best ideas and approaches for resolving a critical workforce shortage issue that threatens nearly all manufacturers and communities in the bi-national Great Lakes economy. 
 
The 30 Great Lakes nominations included programs in cities in seven states and two provinces, as well as four US and Canadian national programs. Characteristics of the successful and promising initiatives included their ability to: 
 

 

  • Recruit or attract talented workers
  • Train or educate new workers
  • Retrain incumbent workers
  • Retrain displaced workers
     

     

    Skills shortages are one of the primary challenges facing many manufacturers.  Manufacturing is the cornerstone of the Great Lakes economy and is intrinsic to its success.   Manufacturing makes the Great Lakes trading area home to the world’s fourth largest economy, with a combined annual output of nearly $6 trillion.

     

     

     

    The Council has also been supporting the widespread adoption of the Manufacturing Skill Standards Certification process, designed to lead to a higher-skilled, more productive workforce.

     

     

     

    “These programs represent the breadth of initiatives to meet the looming workforce crisis in communities throughout the region,” Wolking continued.  “They can serve as beacons for programs throughout the region.”  To help spread the knowledge these programs provide, the Council will host a reception and best practices workshop after the awards presentation.

     

     

     

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    List of Nominees

     

     

     

    Program Name
    Sponsor Name
    City
    State or Prov
    UNITED STATES
     
     
     
    Golden Corridor Advanced Manufacturing Partnership
    Golden Corridor Advanced Manufacturing Partnership
    Hoffman Estates
    IL
    Calumet Green Manufacturing Partnership
    OAI, Inc.
    Chicago
    IL
    Austin Polytechnical Academy
    Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council
    Chicago
    IL
    Ivy Tech Machine Tool Institute
    Ivy Tech Community College
    South Bend
    IN
    Advancing Manufacturing
    Ivy Tech Corporate College, City of Lafayette, IN ,
    Lafayette
    IN
    Indiana Manufacturers Skills Academy
    Indiana Manufacturers Association
    Indianapolis
    IN
    Workforce Intelligence Network
    Workforce Intelligence Network
    Detroit
    MI
    Manufacturing, Defense & Aerospace Workforce Training and Education Grants
    Macomb Community College – Engineering & Advanced Technology
    Warren
    MI
    Accelerated CNC/Machinist Program
    Delta College
    University Center
    MI
    The Academy for Manufacturing Careers
    Jackson Area Manufacturers Association
    Jackson
    MI
    Manufacturing Technologies OE/OE Program
    West Shore Community College
    Scottville
    MI
    Char-Em ISD summer work program
    Char-Em ISD
    Charlevoix
    MI
    Manufacturing Boot Camp
    Alexandria Technical and Community College
    Alexandria
    MN
    Machine Tool Technology
    Hennepin Technical College
    Brooklyn Park
    MN
    Manufacturing Assessment and Advancement Center (MAAC)
    Hennepin Technical College
    Eden Prairie
    MN
    360 Degree Manufacturing and Applied Engineering ATE Regional Center of Excellence
    Bemidji State University
    BEMIDJI
    MN
    Dream It Do It, Western New York
    Dream It Do It Western New York, Inc.
    Jamestown
    NY
    C-TEC, Stark State, and Ariel Corporation Training Program
    C-TEC (Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County)
    Newark
    OH
    WorkAdvance – Northeast Ohio
    Towards Employment
    Cleveland
    OH
    Bootcamp
    Gateway Technical College
    Kenosha
    WI
    Get Engaged!
    Nexen Group, Inc.
    Webster
    WI
    US NATIONAL PROGRAMS
     
     
     
    Tooling U-SME
    Society of Manufacturing Engineers
     Based in Dearborn, MI
    National
    P.R.I.M.E.
    SME Education Foundation
     Based in Dearborn, MI
    National
    Certified Production Technician (CPT)
    Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC)
     Based in Alexandria, VA
    National
     
     
     
     
    CANADA
     
     
     
    Talent Assessment Program
    Prevue HR Systems
    Kitchener
    Ontario
    Earn While You Learn (EWYL)
    Valiant Machine & Tool Inc.
    Windsor
    Ontario
    Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
    Greater Essex County District School Board
    Windsor
    Ontario
    BioSkills Recognition Program
    BioTalent Canada
    Ottawa
    Ontario
    Manufacturing Action Plan
    Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin
    Ayr
    Ontario
    Attract Qualified Foreign Workers
    Quebec International
    Quebec
    Quebec

     

     

     

    About the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council

     

     

     

    The Great Lakes Manufacturing Council is a bi-national organization dedicated to the success of manufacturing in the Great Lakes Region.  Membership in the Council is open to all who share that goal.  The Council covers the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, and the states of New York,

     

     

     

    Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota.  It is organized as a 501(c)3 non-profit and includes manufacturing organizations, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, government agencies, colleges and universities.

     

     

     

    The Council’s vision is that the Great Lakes Region will be one of the top two manufacturing centers in the world.  Its mission is to maintain and increase the competitive advantage for manufacturing and preserve the prosperity of the Great Lakes Region.  The Council focuses on image, innovation, talent and workforce, borders and logistics, and public policy and is the originator of the description of the Great Lakes trading area as the fourth largest economy in the world.

 

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