NIIMBL Advanced Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Institute Works to Transition Military Members into Advanced Manufacturing

NIIMBL Advanced Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Institute has created a new Military Service Members in Biopharma Manufacturing (MSMBM) BioWork training program to help military members and spouses transition into manufacturing jobs. As part of the program, participants learn new skills that will allow them to transition into biopharmaceutical manufacturing, a growing sector supporting millions of American jobs.
 
Workforce development is one of the core missions of the Manufacturing USA Institutes and each institute is required by law to have a workforce development component. This new Manufacturing USA program aims to develop the advanced manufacturing workforce by increasing students’ awareness of advanced manufacturing opportunities, training newcomers (including veterans) with the high-tech skills they'll need, and providing enhanced training and certification to current manufacturing employees so they can move into new positions.
 
As one of the Institutes led by the Department of Defense (DOD), NIIMBL is especially interested in helping members of the military transition into civilian life while also accomplishing its mission of preparing an advanced manufacturing workforce.
 
ASME’s “Strengthening the U.S. Manufacturing Sector” position statement offers specific examples of how the federal government can further invest in the future manufacturing workforce and makes the following recommendations:
 

• Commit to continued, sustained investment in the Manufacturing USA and MEP programs to promote workforce development programs that will help build a skilled workforce here at home, prevent companies from producing new products overseas, and speed up the time it takes for innovations to travel from conception through commercialization.
• Establish a grant program to fund manufacturing-focused universities and institutions that will engage in developing new curricula to be used in manifesting manufacturing education throughout institutions of higher education.
• Supporting this program will encourage partnerships with manufacturing companies. These partnerships will work to address the need for increased manufacturing education in STEM curriculum and support the retraining of the workforce to meet future industry needs.
• Support scholarships and fellowships to students and workers pursuing manufacturing engineering degrees and technical certificates.
• Strengthen tax incentives for workforce development and continuing education, including those at the graduate level, both for employers and employees.
• Conduct a high-level review of the health and sustainability of the U.S. high-tech workforce to ensure that education and immigration policies are working to expand the number of highly-skilled workers in STEM fields.
• Support community colleges and technical schools to ensure worker training programs provide the next generation of technically skilled workers.