AmSkills has been awarded three separate grants totaling $412,000, to be used for the following programs:
• United Way Suncoast Community Investment Grant – $383,000 over a 3-year period – To be used to establish an AmSkills Neighborhood Training Center in the Lealman community of Pinellas County. Lealman is an economically disadvantaged community with a large minority population. AmSkills has conducted numerous Career Discovery Bootcamps in this area with great success. By establishing a permanent satellite location to house a secondary AmSkills training center, AmSkills will be able to help even more residents find careers in the manufacturing industry and help existing employees increase their hands-on skills.
• Duke Energy Foundation Powerful Communities Grant – $21,500 – This grant must be used for strategic workforce development and education programs in Florida. AmSkills will use it to enhance the current High School Pre-Apprenticeship Program at Anclote High School in Pasco County. This is a skill development program to stimulate students’ interest in today’s advanced manufacturing careers.
• TD Charitable Foundation Financial Security Grant – $7,500 – This grant will be used to add Financial Literacy Training to AmSkills Career Discovery Bootcamp candidates.
“We are so grateful to these organizations for awarding AmSkills this money to help both the residents of the Tampa Bay area that are looking to find a career in the manufacturing industry, but also to help the manufacturers who are desperately needing skilled workers,” said Tom Mudano, President/CEO of AmSkills. “Manufacturing is an important industry in the Tampa Bay area, but these companies are struggling. Struggling to find skilled entry-level candidates to hire, and for enhanced training opportunities to upskill their current staff.”
This is a nationwide problem. According to the Manufacturing Institute, over the next decade, 4 million manufacturing jobs will likely need to be filled in the United States, and 2.1 million of those jobs will go unfilled because of a talent shortage.
AmSkills is a 501(c)(3) organization that teaches high school students and adults the foundational skills needed for a career in the manufacturing industry using hands-on training. It also gives these students the chance to explore multiple career paths in the manufacturing field. Once completed, candidates are eligible for paid, semi-skilled jobs or skilled apprenticeship opportunities.
For more information about AmSkills, visit www.AmSkills.org or call (727) 301-1282.