May 1, 2012
Contact: Karen Jarmon
Communications Advisor, CCAT
860-282-4211; kjarmon@ccat.us
ADDRESSING THE MANUFACTURING SKILLS GAP
How a national Skills Certification System can help employers find the right people
EAST HARTFORD, Conn. -- How can manufacturers address the growing shortage of skilled workers? What role does The National Association of Manufacturers’ (NAM)-endorsed Skills Certification System (SCS) play in workforce development strategy to help address the gaps between what students are taught in the classroom and what employers need on the job? These questions will be answered at Creating A Credentialed Workforce: A Manufacturing Skills Forum on May 2 at Middlesex Community College from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Forum attendees will learn how Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana trains and certifies students in credential areas including the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council's (MSSC) certified production technician certifications, the American Welding Society's (AWS) certified welder certifications and the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) machining and metalforming certifications. Vearl Turnpaugh, assistant vice president, Career & Technical Programs, will share the college's success story.
Ryan Costella, director of strategic initiatives, Click Bond, Inc., will speak about how the Nevada-based company champions the value of a credentialed workforce. Click Bond, which has a Connecticut facility, has convened key players in Carson City from the manufacturing, workforce, education, economic development, and political communities to learn about SCS. Credentialing experts including John Nelson, state program manager, ACT's Work Readiness System and Tammy Marcase, regional director, MSSC will participate in a panel discussion about how skills certificates can be incorporated in training and hiring practices to validate both academic and hands-on competencies.
Forum presenting organizations
The following organizations are collaborating in presenting the Manufacturing Skills Forum:
Connecticut.Dream It.Do It., administered by Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT).; Connecticut Department of Labor; Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development; Connecticut Office of Workforce Competitiveness; Connecticut State Colleges & Universities Board of Regents for Higher Education; Connecticut Technical High School System; Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford; CONNSTEP; CBIA’s Education Foundation; Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing; Aerospace Components Manufacturers; Connecticut Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA); Metal Manufacturers’ Education and Training Alliance (METAL); New England Spring & Metalstamping Association; New Haven Manufacturers Association; Precision Metalforming Association; and Smaller Manufacturers Association.
>> For more information
About CCAT
The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT), headquartered in East Hartford, Conn., is a unique economic development organization that combines expertise in cutting-edge manufacturing technology with specialized centers of excellence in STEM, education, workforce strategy and alternative energy solutions to help organizations increase efficiencies, improve workforce development and boost competitiveness. CCAT promotes partnerships between industry, academia and government to create a new collaborative framework for tackling 21st century economic challenges.
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