Skill up: Training workers at General Motors, Illinois Community Colleges, the Dayton Foundation and more

Manufacturing would be nothing without the people in offices and on plant floors to manage supplies, run assembly lines, build things, observe quality and, in short, do the work. Yet, qualified manufacturing workers are perennially in short supply. This digest covers recent initiatives, public-private partnerships, and educational efforts to train and source the next generation of manufacturing workers.

The Charles L. Shor Foundation and the Dayton Foundation announced January 13 they had launched a “Manufacturing Skills Sprint” in Western Ohio. A partnership with Sinclair Community College and the Dayton Region Manufacturers Association, the initiative is meant to fund internships and other work-based experiences to make a pipeline from area schools to local manufacturers like GM Duramax, United Alloy, Westrafo America and others.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Grow Quad Cities, the Manufacturing Institute and regional Iowan employers launched Riverbend Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME), envisioned as the first such chapter in the state. According to local news source KWQC 6, students who enroll in the course will work with sponsoring manufacturing companies while earning credit for an Associate of Applied Science in Industrial Maintenance Technology through the Eastern Iowa Community Colleges.

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity recently announced it would open a new application window for community colleges to establish six manufacturing training academies. The state plans to provide $24 million in grant funding for the training academies. Local public news outlet WCBU reported that the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association was involved in establishing the framework for the grant funding and that two such academies have been built already.

General Motors announced January 29 that it would spend $30 million at its Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, to help train its workforce in anticipation of three new vehicles. According to a company statement, the training will add cross-training for employees to cover electric vehicle and internal-combustion-engine vehicle production as well as safety and quality training. The extra money is geared towards improving production of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and future production of the internal-combustion Chevrolet Equinox and a Buick SUV.

Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada received a $1.7 million grant from the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, according to local news site ABC 8 KOLO. According to KOLO, the money will fund a Worforce Pell-grant short-term Operational Skills Certificate for students interested in advanced manufacturing, automation and battery production.