The Institute hosts breakfast roundtable and job fair for veterans in manufacturing
(DAVENPORT) - Today, Get Skills to Work, in partnership with The Manufacturing Institute, Home Base Iowa, the Alcoa Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, will host Governor Terry Branstad and welcome Iowa as the third state to join the Get Skills to Work coalition. Get Skills to Work helps veterans get job-specific training or transition their military experience into rewarding careers in manufacturing.
"I am proud to support efforts such as Home Base Iowa, Get Skills to Work and Hiring Our Heroes. Each offers our veterans and transitioning service members every opportunity to successfully transition from military careers into the private sector," said Governor Terry Branstad. "These efforts are opportunities to honor those who served and to strengthen our economy with a workforce that exemplifies hard work, teamwork, and discipline."
The event begins with a breakfast roundtable for employers with local manufacturers and partners, including the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, Alcoa Davenport Works, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, and Hiring our Heroes.
Following the roundtable, Governor Branstad will announce Iowa as the third state to join the Get Skills to Work coalition. By joining the coalition, Iowa continues to demonstrate its commitment to helping veterans transition from military to civilian life. In addition, the event will include a free workshop for veterans focused on resume writing, interview skills, and job search techniques for all military members and their spouses.
"We are excited to expand our Get Skills to Work program with Iowa's statewide launch of the coalition. This program will help local manufacturers connect with skilled veterans ready to enter the civilian workforce," Institute President Jennifer McNelly said.
The Get Skills to Work coalition includes more than 500 manufacturers, and it focuses on training veterans in manufacturing and helping them translate existing military skills into manufacturing careers. The Institute along with GE, Aloca, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin, founded Get Skills to Work in October 2012, and together, the initiative has set a goal to reach 100,000 veterans by 2015. This program aims to train military veterans for advanced manufacturing careers, bolster the talent pipeline, and enhance American competitiveness.
The event will take place in the RiverCenter at 136 E. 3rd Street in Davenport, IA, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Speakers at the event include :
Mike Ralston, President, Iowa Association of Business Industry
Rob Woodall, Manufacturing Director, Alcoa Davenport Works
Dr. Don Doucette, Chancellor, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
Derek Hill, Brigadier General, Iowa ANG
Rob Schroder, Vice President, International Strategy and Operations, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Brent Weil, Senior Vice President, The Manufacturing Institute.
For more information, please visit www.getskillstowork.org
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About The Manufacturing Institute
The Manufacturing Institute (the Institute) is the 501(c)(3) affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. As a non-partisan organization, the Institute is committed to delivering leading-edge information and services to the nation's manufacturers. The Institute is the authority on the attraction, qualification and development of world-class manufacturing talent. For more information, please visit www.themanufacturinginstitute.
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