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In its first five years, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation’s (IACMI; Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) has run a successful workforce development track record, building a reputation as a leader in training experiences in the advanced composites industry. As IACMI looks toward its future in the advanced manufacturing space, the institute acknowledges the creation of a workforce development program, Elevate by IACMI, a result of its workforce development initiatives’ growth in scope and diversity.

According to IACMI, Elevate will serve as an initiative to bring together the diverse stakeholders and partners in the advanced manufacturing workforce development field. Led by Joannie Harmon, IACMI’s workforce development manager, Elevate will implement programs and grow workforce development training opportunities in alignment with IACMI’s mission and vision.

“Our partners and areas of opportunity for increased training became increasingly diverse as we hosted internships and training workshops through our first five years as IACM,” says Heath. “We look forward to our new opportunities and areas where we can continue to provide meaningful workforce training experiences.”

There are several workforce development initiatives currently getting started through Elevate by IACMI. IACMI was awarded the $3 million Office of Naval Research’s Manufacturing Education Extension Program (MEEP) grant in 2019 and has created the Advanced Composites Careers Pathway (ACCP) program through that initiative. Additionally, IACMI is participating on fellow Manufacturing USA institute, NextFlex’s, FlexFactor STEM workforce initiative. Finally, IACMI says it was most recently awarded a $2.6 million grant from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program to create an asynchronous machine tooling training program that augments current CAM software available in the machine tooling industry.

Elevate by IACMI will be launching a website soon.