Labor market data shows 24% growth for CNC Operators by 2025. This demand is coupled with an aging workforce and current talent shortages. In response to this talent crisis and the need to create jobs nationwide, we have partnered to develop a nationally replicable fast-track solution to deliver just-in-time talent to manufacturers.
The Right Skills Now for Manufacturing program builds on the success of and demand for industry-recognized credentials and competency-based learning in both education and industry. ACT’s National Career Readiness Certificate is the foundational credential of this stackable program while the NIMS credentials certify critical in-demand machining and metalworking skills.
The result is a concise and comprehensive for-credit training program, resulting in immediate value in the workplace. Manufacturers gain accelerated access to skilled talent and an efficient and sustainable system for evaluating which candidates have the Right Skills Now, while students earn industry-recognized credentials and credit toward a degree — all while working. Those who complete the program are positioned with the Right Skills Now in a competitive job market.
Key Principles of the Right Skills Now
- Fast-Tracked, For-Credit Career Training – The accelerated route, using modular curriculum, allows individuals to gain credentials with immediate value.
- Industry Credentials with Value in the Workplace – This model allows students to transition to employment while continuing their studies and their accumulation of industry-recognized credentials and credit.
- Pathways to Advancement and Degrees – The hiring employers will emphasize the importance of workers continuing to achieve their educational goals while they are working to help them advance within their career pathway.