NMRI Success Elements
- Formation of an initiative that encompasses all Nevada Manufacturing stakeholders;
- Development of a comprehensive automation technician career training program;
- Use of NCLab’s Career Readiness Assessment to identify people who can learn and apply new knowledge and have perseverance to succeed;
- Nevada’s Workforce Development funding of NCLab’s training;
- Employers’ readiness to look closely at the graduates and their skills when hiring.
NMRI – The Nevada Manufacturing Recruitment Initiative
Nevada is very fortunate in having a healthy growing economy with manufacturing growing disproportionally quickly as manufacturers move into the state because of its very favorable business environment.
Unfortunately, the growth of the workforce has not been able to keep up with the growth of manufacturing and it has put a serious strain on manufacturers’ recruiting efforts.
Challenges include a serious shortage of job applicants, applicants who don’t have needed hard and soft skills, and difficulty replacing retiring journeymen.
Addressing The Situation
To address the situation, NMRI was formed with the mission of increasing the number of underemployed people who acquire hard and soft skills and start manufacturing careers.
Initial NMRI stakeholders included Manufacture Nevada, Nevada’s association of manufacturers; Nevada manufacturers; The Governor’s Office Of Workforce Innovation; Nevada’s Libraries (with their Career Explorer platform); and NCLab.
Each NMRI member committed to the initiative’s success.
Manufacturers defined their needs when recruiting new employees.
NCLab built an Automation Technician career training program that addressed manufacturers’ needs for capable recruits.
GOWINN provided a grant to cover the cost of the training.
Manufacture Nevada informed manufacturers of the initiative and encouraged them to participate.
NCLab provided its proven Career Readiness Assessment gratis to NMRI to identify people who can learn and apply new knowledge, in preparation for training.
NMRI In Operation
With the initiative now fully in operation, candidates take the assessment at various locations that include Nevada libraries, EmployNV offices, and even at home, to determine if they have the right aptitude and ability to start a manufacturing career.
Nevada state colleges offer NCLab’s Automation Technician career training program through their continuing education departments.
Nevada’s two workforce boards have added their funding to the GOWINN grant’s funding of tuition reimbursement for NCLab’s career training programs.
Nevada manufacturers queue up using NCLab’s Employer Recruitment Portal to get access to NCLab training program graduates.
In quick succession, added workforce development players have stepped up and are helping to get the word out that the initiative is a significant opportunity for the underemployed. Among them include EmployNV, the Chambers of Commerce, JOIN, NNLC, J4NG, the Nevada Unemployment Department, and high schools across Nevada.
As Gerd Poppinga, President of advanced manufacturing company Vineburg Machining, recently stated, “It’s amazing what gets accomplished when everyone is working together”.
More Information
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