DETROIT – Corktown-based Lightweight Innovations For Tomorrow announced Monday a training initiative to inspire interest in regional manufacturing career opportunities by providing technical training, work readiness preparation and upskilling for disconnected youth and adults.
Pathways To Jobs In Detroit: Connecting Disconnected Youth & Adults To Manufacturing Careers is a collaboration among LIFT, Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, Focus: HOPE and TechShop Detroit. The initiative is expected to launch in early summer.
“Too few individuals are prepared for careers in manufacturing due to lack of awareness and technical skills,” said Larry Brown, executive director, LIFT. “To help address these challenges, LIFT is partnering with three accomplished Detroit area organizations to enhance and develop training programs that will lead to long-term, rewarding job and career opportunities.”
Pathways To Jobs In Detroit aims to reconnect disconnected youth and adults through strategic outreach and a preparatory pathway, including:
- Mobile outreach rallies designed to excite and bring manufacturing career opportunities to life
- Enhancing and expanding Goodwill Detroit, FOCUS: Hope and TechShop job readiness programs to address industry needs
- Heightened focus on work readiness, common employability skills and math and reading proficiency
“Job postings in Michigan for advanced manufacturing workers, including skilled trades workers and engineers, reached an all time high in 2015, with nearly 119,000 jobs posted,” said Emily DeRocco, Education & Workforce Director, LIFT. “With support from LIFT, Detroit partner organizations have developed and enhanced training programs that will help prepare the workforce necessary to fill the existing skills gap for area manufacturers while also providing pathways to good jobs for regional youth and adults.”
“Metro Detroiters have the work ethic and the eagerness to fill these positions in a relatively short period of time,” said Kathy Laird, vice president of automotive operations, Goodwill Detroit. “However, the correct partnerships haven’t been in place to ensure they are properly trained and have access to the career pathways to do so until now!”
“Our collective programs will be enhanced to fit LIFT’s initiatives in cultivating a new manufacturing workforce for outstanding 21st century jobs and will include soft skills training, tech-oriented curriculum, job preparedness, work experience, placement assistance, financial and computer literacy and more,” said William Jones, CEO, Focus: HOPE.
“TechShop’s goal for Detroit is to provide a makerspace that inspires, engages and empowers the community to build their dreams,” said Will Brick, TechShop Detroit general manager. “We want to get people excited about careers in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM), and recruit up to 1,000 locals to participate in this program focused on changing lives through careers in manufacturing.”
For more information on the Pathways To Jobs In Detroit: Connecting Disconnected Youth & Adults To Manufacturing Careers training program and other LIFT education and workforce development initiatives, click on www.lift.technology.
