Bridging the Gap
Building a Manufacturing Workforce
Photo by Robert C. Byrd Institute.
KRISTEN UPPERCUE
The growth of West Virginia’s natural
gas industry is bringing with it ample
opportunity for revitalization in the man-
ufacturing industry—and the need for a
skilled workforce.
West Virginia sits on a wealth of nat-
ural gas, including the Marcellus Shale
basin, which holds 141 trillion cubic feet
of recoverable natural gas—enough to
last into the next century, according to
Forbes. Natural gas can be used to man-
ufacture everyday products like plastics,
paint and clothing and has domestically
transformed the U.S. economy by creating
jobs throughout the country, according to
the National Association of Manufacturers.
The growth of the natural gas industry
has opened the door for new businesses
to enter West Virginia, thus creating
more manufacturing jobs. While there
are about 1,000 manufacturing positions
available in the Mountain State, Explore the
New Manufacturing reports that there
are not enough trained professionals here
to fill those jobs.
To offset this shortage of skilled workers
and help the state take advantage of the
economic growth opportunity within these
industries, organizations around the state
are stepping up to the plate with programs
to educate and prepare the workforce for
opportunity. Apprenticeship Works, Ex-
plore the New Manufacturing and Step
Up for Women Advanced Manufacturing
Pre-Apprenticeship are just three of the
available programs designed to help fill
the gap for these burgeoning industries.
Apprenticeship Works
For the last 30 years, the Robert C. Byrd
Institute (RCBI) at Marshall University has
offered customized training and quality
technical services to manufacturers. To
help fill the need of companies that re-
quire a more robust training program,
RCBI launched the Apprenticeship Works
program for manufacturers in 2016. This
program, which is partially funded by a
$4.9 million grant from the U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor American Apprenticeship
Initiative, holds active apprentices in 16
states in many occupations, including
quality technicians, 3-D printing and
press operation.
Apprenticeship Works is valuable to the
manufacturing industry because it trains
new hires and incumbent workers in
more than 20 advanced manufacturing
occupations. This program also encour-
ages residents who are looking for a new
career—especially veterans, youth and
women—to get involved.
“We have three apprenticeship pro-
grams for disadvantaged youth, veterans
and women,” says Lucinda Curry, director
of workforce development at RCBI. “We
are encouraging them through pre-ap-
prenticeship training to learn more about
manufacturing as an industry and about
the careers and career pathways in man-
ufacturing for good, living-wage jobs.”
This program strives to build and
expand manufacturing sector appren-
ticeships nationwide by offering on-the-
job training, related technical instruction
and courses that teach people skills, qual-
ity and safety. As the apprentice moves
through the program, he or she moves
up a wage progression scale to demon-
strate competencies and complete related
instruction.
Curry believes the apprenticeship pro-
gram benefits not only the employers and
employees involved but also the state as
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