About
Our Mission
Our mission at Project SkillStrong is to bridge the skills gap in
manufacturing and construction
We believe that strengthening the workforce will have a significant economic and social community impact.
Expand access to quality jobs
Improve social mobility
Realize the full potential of educational investments made in skills training
Enhance and grow the talent pool for manufacturers looking to recruit
Amplify the impact of policy initiatives
What We Do
At Project SkillStrong, we help bridge the skills gap in manufacturing and construction – by enabling high school students and mid career employees get the training they need to access to these high-quality jobs
The Skills Gap
The nature of manufacturing/construction jobs is changing
Historically
- Employed large numbers of people with a broad range of skills, that ranged from the routine to the specialized
- Focus was on “production” skills like fabrications technologies, welding, machining etc.
- Limited job mobility across industries
Currently
- Today’s smart factories and construction sites resemble high-tech. It employs fewer people, but that workforce is highly specialized
- The new jobs require a blending of production skills with engineering “skills” – such as process improvement, quality assurance, design
- Those who have “blended” skills have great mobility within industry and across industries
The Skills Gap
- Recent legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and the CHIPS and Science Act are catalyzing investment in our country’s infrastructure.
- Spending on construction for manufacturing is at 60-year highs and large-scale manufacturing commitments have already exceeded $225 billion in the first year.
- These investment are expected to create 19 million high-paying jobs, of which two-thirds will not demand a college degree but will have significant skill requirements.
- However, filling these jobs will be challenging. The manufacturing sector already faces a significant and persistent shortage of skilled labor – McKinsey estimates 87% of manufacturing companies already face a “skills gap” and according to the Manufacturing Institute, by 2030 2.1 million jobs will be unfilled.
What Problem Are We Solving ?
A Manufacturing Investment Super - Cycle Has Started
- Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS ACT, infrasstructure Act are driving a manufacturing investment renaissance
- New manufacturing plant construction spend at a 60-year-high ($200 billion)
But Not Enough Skilled Workers to Fill These High Paying Jobs
- 87% of companies say they either are experiencing gaps now or expect them within a few years (McKinsey)
- Current national manufacturing job deficit is 50%. Deficit varies by state - as high as 90% in WI, 3rd highest manufacturing growth (ECI Solutions)
- 2.1 million unfilled manufacturing jobs expected by 2030 due to skills gap (National Association of Manufacturers
What Problem Are We Solving ?
A Manufacturing Investment Super - Cycle Has Started
- Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS ACT, infrasstructure Act are driving a manufacturing investment renaissance
- New manufacturing plant construction spend at a 60-year-high ($200 billion)
But Not Enough skilled Workers to Fill These High Paying Jobs
- 87% of companies say they either are experiencing gaps now or expect them within a few years (McKinsey)
- Current national manufacturing job deficit is 50%. Deficit varies by state - as high as 90% in WI, 3rd highest manufacturing growth (ECI Solutions)
- 2.1 million unfilled manufacturing jobs expected by 2030 due to skills gap (National Association of Manufacturers
Why Hasn’t it Been Solved Yet
Fragmented Ecosystem
Skill-based training is highly fragmented. Patchwork of entities such as :
- Federal, state and local workforce development agencies
- Community College system
Lacks Coordination
Governmental coordination aligned with US manufacturing reshoring push,is hard
- Large number of governmental and non-governmental entities involved in the effort
- Current emphasis on the local than the national
- Diversity in range, quality and goals of programs make it hard to evaluate relevance and value
The Challenge and Our Focus
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), and the CHIPS and Science Act are catalyzing investment in our country’s infrastructure.
Spending on construction for manufacturing is at 60-year highs and large-scale manufacturing commitments have already exceeded $225 billion in the first year.
These investment are expected to create 19 million high-paying jobs, of which two-thirds will not demand a college degree but will have significant skill requirements.
The downside is that filling these jobs will be challenging. The manufacturing sector already faces a significant and persistent shortage of skilled labor – 87% of manufacturing companies already facing a “skills gap.”
