Skill up: Training workers at PPG, Jabil, Alabama Community Colleges, 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.

Jabil announced it would donate $1.1 million to St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida to help develop the College’s advanced manufacturing training programs. The funding, doled out over three years, will expand student access to technology and lab equipment as well as fund scholarships for students in manufacturing-related programs and generally improve the pipeline of graduates with manufacturing skills near Jabil’s Tampa Bay location. In a statement, Belinthia Berry, Dean of Workforce Development at the college, said collaborating with companies like Jabil strengthens the college’s ability to align its programming with workforce needs.

The Nebraska Chamber of Commerce announced March 23 that it would offer a new community college manufacturing credential to help students in employer-based training to earn Level 1 Manufacturing Certifications. The “Nebraska Manufacturing Alliance Credential” verifies the bearer has manufacturing skills at a standard set by the state government, attainable through registered apprenticeship hubs and given curricula. According to Marc LeBaron, Chair of the NE Chamber Foundation and CEO of Lincoln Industries, the initiative aims to “strengthen Nebraska’s talent pipeline by aligning training with employer demand.”

Southeast Technical College received $6 million in state funding for its James Abdnor Center for Advanced Manufacturing, local news in South Dakota reported March 27. The state funds will add to $24 million in federal, private and local donations to go towards STC’s planned manufacturing center. Plans for the James Abdnor Center for Advanced Manufacturing call for 53,000 square feet of space for classrooms and labs to support classes like Advanced Manufacturing Maintenance Technology, Advanced Manufacturing Automation Technology and Mechanical Engineering Technology and Welding. The center is expected to open for the fall semester of 2027.

PPG and its charitable arm, the PPG Foundation, announced March 24 it would spend $10 million on skilled trades education, especially as it relates to coatings applications. The $10 million will go out globally through 2030 to improve programs across the world, including two in the United States: Pittsburgh’s Bidwell Training Center and its Chemical Laboratory Technician program, and the Lost Angels Career Center’s 12-week vocational training program for disadvantaged workers between 18 and 24. Outside the U.S., PPG will also help fund OSAO Vocational College in Finland, the China National Petroleum and Chemical Industry Work Skills Competition, and the Cidade dos Meninos training course in Brazil.

Cecil College in Elkton, Maryland announced March 24 it would launch a new Certified Manufacturing Associate program starting June 2026. The entry-level program consist of two courses, Certified Manufacturing Associate I and II, in which students learn shop safety, manufacturing processes, technical math, measurement, blueprint reading and modern production technologies; and automation, assembly operation, quality systems and lean manufacturing principles, respectively. Passing the program and a certification exam grants students an industry-recognized credential for fundamental manufacturing skills.