ASSOCIATION FOR MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE CONTINUES LONG-STANDING SUPPORT FOR MANUFACTURING CAREERS

Manufacturing Day and AME International Conference shine spotlight on Career Technical Education, apprenticeships, and new-collar careers

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. – October 1, 2021 – The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) and its 4,000 members are proud to support and celebrate Manufacturing Day on October 1, 2021, and other manufacturing-related events and training, which continue throughout the month and year.

Not all jobs require a college degree. Some require a high school diploma, with a strong interest in comprehending the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum and being guided into additional training offered by apprenticeship and certification programs. These programs can often be addressed by employers engaging with the educational system to focus on Career Technical Education (CTE) initiatives valued by employers while providing an equitable gateway for each student to achieve their career goals and dreams.

A benchmark for public-private partnerships is in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, where employers, schools, legislators, and the community are taking a leadership role. In collaboration with business and education leaders and with the bi-partisan support of legislators, AME is expanding CTE educational initiatives and leverage these best practices programs in Hampton Roads to be deployed across Virginia and the nation to make “Made in America” and the “American Dream” a reality for all students.

AME is excited to recognize New Horizons Regional Education Centers (NHREC)’s achievement and programs. The largest of the nine regional centers in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the NHREC mission is to train and educate a competitive, future-ready workforce that is college and community-ready.

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Developed at NHREC, the “BUILD Hampton Roads: Good Life Solution Program" prepares students to be career-ready, to accept their first jobs, and to enter the workforce with the foundational skills necessary to build a new-collar career. The center has partnered with The Apprentice School’s Youth Builders program to expose their students to manufacturing that prepares them for an apprenticeship at Newport News Shipbuilding or other career opportunities in the community.

“Prior to my current role as AME’s president and CEO, I was fortunate to serve as an AME volunteer on Manufacturing Day initiatives and to engage closely with NHREC and the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School,” said Kim Humphrey. “These programs are essential elements in the U.S. economy that attract and develop skilled workers who will become the next generation of manufacturing talent.”

In fact, AME will provide a platform for The Apprenticeship School at Newport News Shipbuilding and NHREC to share information about Youth Builders to an international audience at the 37th annual AME International Conference – the world’s largest lean conference – from October 18-21, 2021. During the presentation, Latitia D. McCane, Ph.D., director of education for the Apprenticeship School, and Casey M. Roberts, NHREC executive director, will share six ways industry and high schools can collaborate successfully.

About the Association for Manufacturing Excellence International Conference

Now in its 37th year, the AME International Conference brings together the lean, continuous improvement community to experience best practices in leadership, employee engagement and development, process improvement, technology, and operational excellence. This year’s conference will be delivered virtually and features keynotes, facility tours, workshops, networking, and practitioner presentations. For more information about the Newport News Shipbuilding Apprenticeship School presentation, please visit ame.org/ame-everywhere-2021/presentation/six-ways-industry-collaborates-high-schools.

About the Association for Manufacturing Excellence

Since its founding in 1985, the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) has grown into the premier not-for-profit organization for the exchange of enterprise excellence knowledge. The association’s 4,000 members come together through practitioner-to-practitioner experiences to explore lean thinking and other operational improvement methods, exchange best practices, and network. Through engaging workshops, plant tours, summits, and industry-leading conferences, AME members discover and implement new continuous improvement strategies in order to share, learn and grow. For more information, visit ame.org.

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About Manufacturing Day

Manufacturing Day, or MFG Day, helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to open their doors to students, parents, teachers, and community leaders. As manufacturers seek to fill four million high-skill, high-tech, and high-paying jobs over the next decade, MFG Day empowers manufacturers to come together to address their collective challenges so they can help their communities and future generations thrive.

This year, MFG Day also includes a strong emphasis on engaging digital and virtual events throughout the country. With manufacturing careers at the heart of some of the most impactful work being done in response to the pandemic, we are excited to shine a spotlight on manufacturing careers. For more information visit, creatorswanted.org/mfgday/. About New Horizons Regional Education Centers New Horizons Regional Education Centers (NHREC) is owned and operated by the six Greater Peninsula school divisions. Founded in 1965, New Horizons is the largest of the nine regional centers in the Commonwealth of Virginia in both size and service scope. The organization provides regional programming in career and technical education, special education, gifted education, adult training/apprenticeships, and youth workforce initiatives and serves over 1,500 public school students and 1,200 adult learners per year. For more information, please visit nhrec.org.

About The Apprentice School

The Apprentice School is the preeminent apprenticeship program in the nation that offers four- to eight-year, tuition-free apprenticeships in 19 trades and eight optional advanced programs. For more than a century, The Apprentice School has contributed to the growth of Newport News Shipbuilding by recruiting, training and developing the next generation of shipbuilding leaders. Accredited by the Council for Occupational Education, The Apprentice School is certified to offer associate’s degrees of applied science in maritime technology in 26 educational programs. Through partnerships with Thomas Nelson Community College, Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University, The Apprentice School’s academic program provides the opportunity to earn associate degrees in business administration, engineering and engineering technology and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical or electrical engineering. For more information, visit as.edu.

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