Ithaca Area Economic Development announced a fleeting opportunity for those in the Finger Lakes area looking to breach into the manufacturing industry.

The economic development non-profit began accepting registrations for its Pathways to Manufacturing program starting April 8 at the TC3–Ithaca Extension Center, 118 N. Tioga Street in Ithaca. There is still time to apply for the program, as the registration deadline is this Friday, March 22.

The program’s classes, free to participants, will run Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. until May 3.

What’s the program about, and what do participants gain?

The Pathways to Manufacturing program is a full-time, four-week training program to equip people with the technical skills needed by area manufacturers using a blend of online learning and hands-on experience using Virtual Reality, and team-building exercises.

Ithaca Area Economic Development facilitates the program and received support from the Community Foundation of Tompkins County to provide stipends to participants that successfully complete the program and from the Tompkins County Community Recovery Fund to develop a virtual reality technical skills lab with “hands-on training and digital coaching” for the program.

Direct to Work participants are expected to gain a comprehensive understanding of manufacturing processes and techniques and spend an entire day with each participating manufacturer, meeting with several departments and Human Resources.

The program is facilitated by several local manufacturing companies including C&D assembly, BorgWarner, Knickerbocker, Incodema 3D, STORK, THERM, Lansing Instruments, and Precision Filters.

Representatives from Therm, Knickerbocker and the Alliance for Manufacturing and Technology did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Those in the program will get a one-time $500 stipend, alongside a guaranteed interview with at least one participating manufacturer upon its completion. Participants will also be offered the Certified Manufacturing Associate exam–a national credential.

Why was this program organized, and how will it improve manufacturing in Tompkins?

Danielle Szabo, Director of Workforce Innovation at Ithaca Area Economic Development (IAED), said earlier this month that the program was created in response to the Future-ready Workforce Innovation Consortium and ongoing investments into the state’s manufacturing industry.

“There are several partners in Tompkins County, IAED, TST BOCES, the Tompkins County Workforce Development Board, Cornell, TC3 and soon Ithaca college,” Szabo said. “We’re all part of the large Micron consortium, a 10-county workforce and education consortium that Micron put together to really get the region and state prepared for the semi-conductor industry.”

“The idea is getting all the educational workforce partner aligned into curriculum and certifications, to start working with local employers now and kind of evolve that when micron is in a position to start hiring for entry level and mid-scale positions,” Szabo said. “There are a lot of partners, especially TST BOCES, who are really creating and prioritizing job shadowing internships for every junior and senior. Before (Bocces students) graduate, they need to have that experience in whatever industry they’re exploring.”

Szabo said that industry leaders want to connect with future workforce young adults to expand their reach.

“That’s another pathway and pipeline that employers are being more intentional with,” Szabo said. “We’re starting to see that a lot more, and I think there’s also a mind-shift among educational partners that not ever graduate coming out of high school is on a path to higher education and that it’s okay to go directly into the workforce.”

Manufacturing, much like nearly every other industry, is feeling the stresses of decreased and less experienced staff because of longtime-employee retirements.

“There’s a large anticipation in the upcoming three to five years that there will be a large number of individuals retiring from the manufacturing industry,” Szabo said. “The eight manufacturers we’re working with are planning ahead, scaling up their existing workforce, and creating more clear career pathways for people to advance into management.”

For more information about the Pathways to Manufacturing visit https://ithacaareaed.org/direct-to-work/ or contact Mary Holland-Bavis at directtowork@ithacaareaed.org or 607-273-0005.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: Ithaca Area Economic Development manufacturing education registration