Edmonds College set to participate in a three-year pilot program that trains students to fill workforce shortages in manufacturing

The Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center (AMSC) of Edmonds College, located at Paine Field, is dedicated to offering the community short-term, high-impact manufacturing training. (Arutyun Sargsyan / Edmonds College)

Edmonds College is the only West Coast college selected to participate in a three-year pilot program with the aim of dramatically increasing the manufacturing workforce.

The Manufacturing Imperative – Workforce Pipeline Challenge (MI-WPC) program was launched last fall by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), a North American nonprofit organization. The program’s goal is to prepare more than 75,000 people for jobs in manufacturing. If successful, this workforce growth would have an estimated economic impact of $6 billion.

“The manufacturing industry has deep, historical roots in our region and Washington state,” said Edmonds President Dr. Amit B. Singh. “We have been making significant contributions to addressing the work shortages in the industry with our programs on campus and at the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center (AMSC) at Paine Field. We are honored to be selected as one of just 25 colleges from around the nation to participate and look forward to collaborating with SME and learning from their industry and workforce expertise.”

The program’s participating colleges and SME will collaborate to develop innovative methods for recruiting and training students. Together, they will attract new students to STEM, align curriculum with industry needs, promote the benefits of manufacturing, and help connect students with industry partners.

“Through this collaboration, the initiative is building awareness of careers in manufacturing, optimizing workforce systems, and accelerating the education and skill development needed to place individuals in jobs making family-sustaining wages,” said Jeannine Kunz, chief workforce development officer, SME.