FAME – A BOOST TO LOCAL MANUFACTURING JOB MARKET
by David Castagnacci
Volusia and Flagler counties are embarking this month on one of the nation ’ s most respected and innovative programs for educating and advancing skilled workers into the local manufacturing industry . FAME ( Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education ) operates through an ‘ earn while you learn ’ model . Ten participating companies are sponsoring students who will divide their week between working for one of the manufacturers and attending classes at Daytona State College . Upon graduation , they will have an associate degree , be virtually debt-free and have gainful employment as an Advanced Manufacturing Technician ( AMT ).
The program is a combined effort of local manufacturers , the Volusia Manufacturers Association ( VMA ), Daytona State College ( DSC ) and CareerSource Flagler Volusia . VMA leaders have been working for the past year to organize the local “ FL FAME Sunshine Chapter ,” and it begins Aug . 13 with a ‘ commitment signing ’ ceremony for the students , followed by the start of DSC ’ s fall semester on August 23 .
VMA was introduced to FAME by Frank Mercer , director of DSC ’ s Center for Business and Industry . “ The local manufacturers have been experiencing a skilled labor shortage for years ,” comments Jayne Fifer , VMA ’ s President / CEO . “ It appealed to our
Jayne Fifer manufacturers because it was manufacturerled which meant they could adapt the program to produce workers skilled in the areas most needed , particularly Advanced Manufacturing Technicians ,” Fifer adds .
FAME USA was founded in Kentucky in 2010 through an innovative partnership between the Toyota Corporation and the Bluegrass Community and Technical College . The goal is to help solve a local skills trade shortage while providing a pathway for people to earn a technical degree debt-free . And now the program has expanded to 14 states with 36 chapters and more than 300 engaged employers – including such well-known names as Toyota , GE , Hershey , Caterpillar , Tyson , Trane , Kohler , Xerox and 3M .
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