CHAMBER VOICES
MANUFACTURING
Creating opportunities NORTH SHORE TRAINING PROGRAM BUILDS PIPELINE FOR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TALENT
By Beth Francis Essex County Community Foundation
T
hanks to a collaborative workforce development initiative launched on the North Shore in 2019, an estimated 305 newly trained workers will enter the advanced manufacturing workforce by the end of the year. These workers will help close hiring gaps for area companies challenged to fill open jobs. Several factors — including an aging labor force, misconceptions about the manufacturing industry and a lack of training in the now highly technical field — have threatened the employment pipeline for the nearly 500 manufacturing companies doing business on the North Shore. Nationwide, manufacturing skills gaps could result in 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, according to a 2021 study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute — the workforce development and educational partner of the National Association of Manufacturers. But locally, the Advanced Manufacturing Training Expansion Program has been changing the tide in an industry flanked by innovation and technology. AMTEP is a systems-change effort that aims to train 900 adult learners and high school students by 2025. It is focused on ensuring a ready-to-work pool of skilled labor for local manufacturing companies. At the same time, it provides the promise of good wages, career growth potential and a path to a stable financial future for unemployed or underemployed workers in our region. “This training movement on the North Shore is colossal and proudly leading the state’s pipeline initiatives,” says Kate O’Malley, AMTEP program manager at the MassHire North Shore Workforce Board, the backbone organization of these efforts. “It’s growing our advanced manufacturing workforce
Courtesy Essex County Community Foundation
At Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, adult learners receive hands-on training through the Advanced Manufacturing Training Expansion Program.
on the North Shore, and it is supported by open and highly motivated partnerships that are paramount to our region’s economy and sustaining a vibrant industry for the long term.” Participation in AMTEP is free. The program offers more than 400 hours of technical training, accessible and flexible schedules and post-graduate support, including job placement opportunities facilitated by MassHire. More than 80 percent of AMTEP students secure jobs after completing the program. “AMTEP is helping to fill a void of trained manufacturing staff for the industry as well as providing a career path for these trainees,” says Charlie Anastos, vice president of operational excellence at Harmonic Drive, LLC, a Beverly company that manufactures gearheads, gear component sets and servo actuators. “Successful graduates from these programs have demonstrated their commitment to their craft, which, in turn, minimizes the risks to their future employers. We as employers can be comfortable knowing that these candidates are worth the investment in their future development.” AMTEP is funded by the GE Foundation, with fiduciary and strategic support provided by Essex County Community Foundation and critical infrastructure investments from the state. “But the list of partners that makes AMTEP successful is long,” says Stratton Lloyd, Essex County Community
Beth Francis is president and CEO of Essex County Community Foundation. 12
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