Published 6/20/2011

Industry Organizations Commend Skills Initiative

Industry organizations reacted positively to President Obama’s announcement of a new system for standardizing manufacturing training credentials. The Manufacturing Skills Certification System was announced as an expansion to Skills For America’s Future, a workforce development initiative launched last year with the aim of improving collaboration between industry and community colleges.

Workforce Development

Edited by: MMS Editorial Team

Industry organizations reacted positively to President Obama’s announcement of a new system for standardizing manufacturing training credentials.

The Manufacturing Skills Certification System was announced as an expansion to Skills For America’s Future, a workforce development initiative launched last year with the aim of improving collaboration between industry and community colleges. However, according to the White House, the lack of a standardized credentialing system recognized throughout the industry hampers that effort. As a result, students often undergo training that might have little value to potential employers, while employers might have difficulty identifying which credentials are valuable for preparing prospective employees for job opportunities.

Among the organizations expressing support for the new credentialing system are the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), which helped develop the system along with various industry partners through its non-profit affiliate, the Manufacturing Institute; AMT-the Association For Manufacturing Technology; The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA); and the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA).

“Alongside creative recruitment efforts, the key to developing more skilled workers in the U.S. is the use of uniform, widely recognized and industry-driven credentials to demonstrate competency in the specific industry skills needed by employers,” says Bill Gaskin, PMA president.

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