Release Date: March 4, 2014 5:46 pm
Contact: Director of Marketing ECPI University 757.490.9090
Colleges offer programs in advanced manufacturing for transitioning veterans
Washington, DC, March 4, 2014: The Get Skills to Work Initiative is proud to announce that more than 50 colleges – including ECPI University – are now part of the coalition of industry, educators, and non-profit organizations helping veterans discover careers in advanced manufacturing. Get Skills to Work, a partnership among the Manufacturing Institute, GE, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Alcoa, and more than 500 manufacturing companies, will work with these institutions of higher education to further expand accelerated training and certification opportunities for U.S. veterans in advanced manufacturing.
“The Manufacturing Institute is proud to partner with these outstanding schools who are committed to investing in veterans and workforce training that has a real impact in communities across the country,” said Jennifer McNelly, President, The Manufacturing Institute. “Working with educators and employers, we are creating real opportunities for transitioning service members to get the skills they need to access in-demand manufacturing careers. As more community and technical schools join Get Skills to Work, we are fulfilling our commitment to up-skill veterans and connect them with local manufacturing job opportunities.”
“ECPI University is excited to be a partner in the Get Skills to Work Initiative,” says ECPI University Business Development Specialist Paul Dockery. “For over 47 years, we have supported our veterans and assisted them on reaching their educational goals with employment being a primary objective. Initiatives like this one, headed by The Manufacturing Institute, will allow us to continue our focus on providing industry-driven programs and certifications for transitioning veterans. The manufacturing skills gap is real and so is the need for a skilled workforce. With efforts like this, our veterans can help close this gap and we are proud to be a part of it.”
At a time when the manufacturing industry has a well-documented skills gap, veterans represent an important pipeline of talented workers. Many veterans have training and experience that match up to manufacturing careers, in areas as diverse as welding, machining, logistics, and maintenance. For those veterans requiring additional training and industry certifications to prepare for the civilian manufacturing workforce, accelerated postsecondary programs can bridge the gap for transitioning veterans. That is why expanding educational opportunities through Get Skills to Work is so important to the manufacturers in the coalition. The schools prioritize veterans in their training programs, align programs to manufacturing industry certifications, and maximize opportunities for veterans to use their GI Bill ® and other benefits toward technical training.
Veterans like Daniel Brewer and James Giuffre are helping close the skills gap after graduating from the Get Skills to Work training program at Cincinnati State. Brewer, a Navy veteran, is now using the skills he acquired working on aircraft and perfected through Get Skills to Work as a technician with GE Aviation. Giuffre, an Ohio National Guardsman, returned from a tour in Afghanistan with many skills but no job. Since taking part in Get Skills to Work, he secured a job at an advanced manufacturing facility outside of Cincinnati.
The full list of schools engaged can be found here: www.themanufacturinginstitute.org/Initiatives/Get-Skills-to-Work/Education/Ed-page.aspx. Schools, companies and veterans interested in joining this effort or learning more can visit GetSkillstoWork.org or join us on Facebook at Facebook.com/GetSkillstoWorkand Twitter @GetSkillstoWork.