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The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS; Fairfax, Virginia), the manufacturing industry’s developer of skills standards and credentials, has been selected by the United States Department of Labor as an industry intermediary to support the expansion of registered apprenticeships within manufacturing. NIMS will work with industry, workforce and education partners to increase access to apprenticeships and assist employers in developing new programs that reach diverse talent pools.  As part of this initiative, $500,000 is available to support companies in establishing a registered apprenticeship program with the Department of Labor.

“This contract gives us the unique opportunity to create more impact in our industry by expanding apprenticeships to underrepresented populations and to new companies looking to establish a sustainable talent pipeline,” says Executive Director Jim Wall.

NIMS will focus on providing companies with tools and resources to develop customized registered apprenticeship programs. These programs combine on-the-job training with job-related classroom instruction and meet national standards for registration with the Department of Labor or State Apprenticeship Agencies.

Major stakeholders that will support the expansion of apprenticeships in manufacturing include AMT—The Association For Manufacturing Technology, the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA), the Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA), and several associations, organizations and institutions.

NIMS is seeking companies and education and industry partners that are interested in enhancing their talent pipelines through apprenticeships. Companies that are interested in building an apprenticeship program or organizations that are interested in partnering with NIMS may visit mfgapprenticeship.com or email the NIMS Apprenticeship USA team at apprenticeship@nims-skills.org.