Detroit, March 17, 2014. Thirty 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 workersSkills 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.### 30 ###List of NomineesProgram NameSponsor NameCityState or ProvUNITED STATESGolden Corridor Advanced Manufacturing PartnershipGolden Corridor Advanced Manufacturing PartnershipHoffman EstatesILCalumet Green Manufacturing PartnershipOAI, Inc.ChicagoILAustin Polytechnical AcademyChicago Manufacturing Renaissance CouncilChicagoILIvy Tech Machine Tool InstituteIvy Tech Community CollegeSouth BendINAdvancing ManufacturingIvy Tech Corporate College, City of Lafayette, IN ,LafayetteINIndiana Manufacturers Skills AcademyIndiana Manufacturers AssociationIndianapolisINWorkforce Intelligence NetworkWorkforce Intelligence NetworkDetroitMIManufacturing, Defense & Aerospace Workforce Training and Education GrantsMacomb Community College – Engineering & Advanced TechnologyWarrenMIAccelerated CNC/Machinist ProgramDelta CollegeUniversity CenterMIThe Academy for Manufacturing CareersJackson Area Manufacturers AssociationJacksonMIManufacturing Technologies OE/OE ProgramWest Shore Community CollegeScottvilleMIChar-Em ISD summer work programChar-Em ISDCharlevoixMIManufacturing Boot CampAlexandria Technical and Community CollegeAlexandriaMNMachine Tool TechnologyHennepin Technical CollegeBrooklyn ParkMNManufacturing Assessment and Advancement Center (MAAC)Hennepin Technical CollegeEden PrairieMN360 Degree Manufacturing and Applied Engineering ATE Regional Center of ExcellenceBemidji State UniversityBEMIDJIMNDream It Do It, Western New YorkDream It Do It Western New York, Inc.JamestownNYC-TEC, Stark State, and Ariel Corporation Training ProgramC-TEC (Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County)NewarkOHWorkAdvance – Northeast OhioTowards EmploymentClevelandOHBootcampGateway Technical CollegeKenoshaWIGet Engaged!Nexen Group, Inc.WebsterWIUS NATIONAL PROGRAMSTooling U-SMESociety of Manufacturing EngineersBased in Dearborn, MINationalP.R.I.M.E.SME Education FoundationBased in Dearborn, MINationalCertified Production Technician (CPT)Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC)Based in Alexandria, VANationalCANADATalent Assessment ProgramPrevue HR SystemsKitchenerOntarioEarn While You Learn (EWYL)Valiant Machine & Tool Inc.WindsorOntarioOntario Youth Apprenticeship ProgramGreater Essex County District School BoardWindsorOntarioBioSkills Recognition ProgramBioTalent CanadaOttawaOntarioManufacturing Action PlanWorkforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington DufferinAyrOntarioAttract Qualified Foreign WorkersQuebec InternationalQuebecQuebecAbout the Great Lakes Manufacturing CouncilThe 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.