Closing the Manufacturing

Skills Gap at the

Kentucky Manufacturing

Career Center

Michael Gritton, KentuckianaWorks

Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center

The Vision

A “one stop” center

for manufacturers to post open positions

for jobseekers to find jobs in manufacturing

to access free or low cost training that prepares

entry level production workers

where employees can continue on a manufacturing

career ladder to higher paying jobs through

employer-endorsed training and certifications

A place that will promote and create excitement about

manufacturing jobs in our community!

Why focus on manufacturing?

The sector is growing again - 6,500 jobs added last year in Louisville region

Higher wages – ranging from $9.50 - $13/hour entry level with benefits

Possibility for career advancement with training

With experience, wages rise - average manufacturing wage in Kentucky is $18.50/hour

Why focus on manufacturing?

Mayor Greg Fischer’s

Bluegrass Economic

Advancement Movement

(BEAM) -- a partnership

with Mayor Jim Gray of

Lexington -- is trying to

brand our region as a

national center of

excellence for

manufacturing talent

and companies

One of the Brookings

Institution’s Metropolitan

Business Plan

experiments

4.5%

7.9%8.3%

4.4%4.7%

8.4%

4.3%

3.4%

6.5%

3.2%

15.2%

10.2%

1.0%

9.6%

5.6%

-2.3%-1.8%

3.6%

-4%

-2%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

Illinois Indiana Kentucky Missouri Ohio Tennessee Virginia WestVirginia

UnitedStates

Employment Growth Since Bottom of Last RecessionAll Industries, and Manufacturing

All Industries

Manufacturing

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages. Growth is from July 2009 to June 2013.

Paul Coomes, Independent Researcher

9.4%

-3.6%

3.4%

6.9%

10.4%

7.6% 7.6%

12.0%

7.6%

2.3%

-4.7%

6.2%

10.3%

21.6%

8.7%

-8.4%

12.8%

7.4%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

LexingtonArea

MountainArea

Ashland Area NorthernKentucky

Area

LouisvilleArea

Owensboro -Henderson

Area

Paducah -Purchase

Area

BowlingGreen -

HopkinsvilleArea

CumberlandArea

Employment Growth Since Bottom of Last RecessionAll Industries, and Manufacturing

All Industries

Manufacturing

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, compiled from county details. Growth is from July 2009 to June 2013. Nationally, total employment grew by 6.5%, and manufacturing employment grew by 3.6%.

Paul Coomes, Independent Researcher

12.8%

-7.1%

7.6%

16.2%15.4%

14.1%

12.2%13.2%

8.3%

13.2%

-1.9%

20.3%

27.7%

31.5%

23.1%

10.1%

24.8%

21.1%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

LexingtonArea

MountainArea

Ashland Area NorthernKentucky

Area

LouisvilleArea

Owensboro -Henderson

Area

Paducah -Purchase

Area

BowlingGreen -

HopkinsvilleArea

CumberlandArea

Wage and Salary Growth Since Bottom of Last RecessionAll Industries, and Manufacturing

All Industries

Manufacturing

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, compiled from county details. Growth is from July 2009 to June 2013. Nationally, total wages and salaries grew by 8.7%, and manufacturing employment grew by 14.0%.Paul Coomes, Independent Researcher

KMCC Offerings for Job Seekers

National Career Readiness

Certificate

Manufacturing Skills Standards

Council “Certified Production

Technician” Training

Multi-Skilled Technician Training

English as Second Language

instruction geared to

manufacturing

Job Placement with participating

employers

College credit through JCTC

KMCC Background

Opened May 2013

Supported by National Fund for Workforce

Solutions (national and local match funders),

Workforce Investment Act, Louisville Redevelopment

Authority, JPMorganChase

Partnership:

WIB (KentuckianaWorks)

Community College (Jefferson Community & Technical)

Adult Education/ESL (Jefferson County Public Schools)

Kentucky Manufacturing Career Center

Results to Date

29 actively engaged employers

KMCC Results to Date

Job seekers served (unduplicated) 370

NCRC assessments earned

98

Job seekers working on KeyTrain to earn NCRC 201

MSSC “Certified Production Technician” earned

46

Multi-Skilled Technician course completed 10

Gained employment 71

Mayor Fischer with a Recent CPT Class

CPT Classroom – 15 Computers

KMCC – Career Center Area