The Manufacturing Advancement Center Workforce Innovation Collaborative (MACWIC), a Worcester-based association of more than 90 manufacturing groups aimed at solving workforce challenges, will be recognized with a workforce development award by Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) in May.
An affiliate of the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), the collaborative earned AIM’s John Gould Education & Workforce Development Award for its “groundbreaking work” to develop competency-based curriculum for precision machining that ensures students meet industry standards, according to AIM.
The curriculum can count toward college credit, and led to the establishment of the MassMEP’s Manufacturing Skills Academy, providing education to upgrade the skills of the current manufacturing workforce, AIM said.
“AIM applauds the collaborative and its members for developing industry credentials, fostering communication within the manufacturing community and promoting vocational education,” said AIM President and CEO Richard C. Lord.
The development of such a training initiative is crucial, as impending baby-boomer retirements are expected to create nearly 100,000 manufacturing job vacancies in the next decade in Massachusetts, Lord said.
