Northwest PA Workforce Development Network

The Metals and Metal Fabrication Industry Partnership operates under the umbrella of the Manufacturing Education and Economic Network formed by the Workforce Investment Boards of Northwest, North Central and West Central Pennsylvania. Over the past year the partnership has focused on the following activities:

Attraction to the Industry—the partnership hired a marketing firm to develop a public awareness campaign entitled, “Metals In Motion” to combat media reports that have portrayed the metals industry in a negative light. The partnership identified this as an immediate priority to help the competitiveness of the industry, to offer reassurance to its current workforce and to begin attracting the future workforce. In addition to the public awareness campaign, the partnership made numerous presentations to high school groups throughout the region, attended career fairs and career education symposia.

Battle Bots IQ Project (BBIQ)— the partnership was a major sponsor of this project that played a large role in promoting and highlighting the opportunities within the industry to the future workforce. The BBIQ project is an educational program that includes curriculum, teacher training and an exciting robotics competition. Student’s imaginations are captured as they design, build and compete with their own robotic creations; and through this hands-on effort students gain practical knowledge of math, science, engineering and manufacturing. Over 100 students, 20 teachers and dozens of volunteers from local industry participated in the event. Nearly 1000 parents and students attended the event and thousands more were exposed to the event through numerous print articles and television coverage of the contest. The positive attention highlighting this event and the metals industry provided a huge boost to the partnership.

Incumbent Worker Training—The Metals and Metal Fabrication Partnership conducted incumbent worker training through funds secured through the PA Job Ready Initiative, the Welding initiative established by the NW WIB, the NWIRC, The Erie Regional Chamber Growth Partnership, and the Machining Skills Program.