News Release

Printer-Friendly Version

ETA News Release: [05/22/2006]
Contact Name: David James or Mike Volpe
Phone Number: 202-693-4676 or x3984
Release Number: 06-864-NAT

U.S. Department of Labor Announces Industry-Based Competency Model for Advanced Manufacturing

WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Emily Stover DeRocco today announced the creation of a dynamic set of resources for advanced manufacturers to use in attracting and training workers for careers across the industry.

"After decades of using incomplete and inconsistent standards for training the manufacturing workforce, advanced manufacturers came together to embrace a common framework of skills necessary to pursue a successful career," said DeRocco. "In a global economy, American workers need strong academic, workplace and technical skills to maintain our innovative edge. The tools released today allow industry, educators, and government to match their investments to the modern needs of the advanced manufacturing workplace."

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) convened a group of leading industry organizations to develop a comprehensive framework over the past year. Participants and reviewers included the Manufacturing Institute, National Council for Advanced Manufacturing, National Association of Manufacturers, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, National Institute for Metalworking Skills, Penn State University, Thomas Nelson Community College, Aviation High School in New York City, and others.

The group devised the framework by reviewing existing industry standards and curricula and identifying the common elements that apply across manufacturing sectors. Those elements include working with spreadsheets, interpretation of CAD (Computer-Aided Design) drawings, and database navigation and reporting. This framework allows for consistency across industries, customization within sectors, and easy updating in order to accommodate changing technology and business practices.

The framework is designed to evolve along with changing skill requirements. The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has committed to working with industry partners to keep this tool current. "The NAM is proud to have played a key role in developing this groundbreaking framework of core competencies critical for today's high performance manufacturing worker," said NAM President John Engler. "The framework provides a long overdue snapshot of what the 21st century manufacturing technical worker looks like."

The Department of Labor will shortly announce a competition for funding under the President's High Growth Job Training Initiative for the advanced manufacturing industry.

The President's High Growth Job Training Initiative represents a major step in a series of actions that ETA has taken to facilitate partnerships among business, education and the workforce investment system to develop solutions to the workforce challenges facing high growth industries. The initiative targets education and skills development resources toward helping workers gain the skills they need to build successful careers in growing industries. Please visit www.doleta.gov/BRG/JobTrainInitiative/.