IACMI’s Joannie Harmon on combatting workforce shortages in U.S. casting and forging industry
In a concerted effort to address the critical workforce shortages in the U.S. casting and forging industry, IACMI–The Composites Institute, in a multi-million dollar partnership with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, announced that it has partnered with Pennsylvania State University (PSU), the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), and Jobs for the Future (JFF) to support a groundbreaking national workforce initiative: the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning program, or METAL. Below, IACMI’s Joannie Harmon discusses the strategic importance of this initiative.
MPT: How did this program come about?
Joannie Harmon: The Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning program (METAL) has been established in response to the DoD’s identification of a need for an additional 122,000 skilled personnel in essential roles by 2028. This program aims to strengthen national defense through workforce development and technological advancement.