Description:
The Eastern CT Youth Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (YMPI) is a workforce development program that offers a career pathway for high school graduates who have chosen to enter the job market instead of college. The program is created and managed by the Eastern CT Workforce Investment Board (EWIB) in concert with 30+ other state and regional stakeholders. The YMPI is designed to raise the baseline of the student’s competencies to align with job skills that are in-demand by manufacturers. Its core element is 150 hours of job skills training designed by employers and included in the affiliated high school’s curriculum. The strong engagement from General Dynamics/Electric Boat Div. (GD/EB) and the Eastern Advanced Manufacturing Alliance – Regional Sector Partnership, a ~40-member consortium of manufacturers, to design core elements of the program is a critical attribute. The YMPI is based on the nationally recognized Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative (MPI), an adult workforce program which has placed more than 3500 individuals in jobs since 2016 in which ~80% of these placements had no formal manufacturing experience prior to joining the program. The YMPI expands this initiative to serve high school students. The core skill areas of the YMPI include, but are not limited to: manufacturing math, blueprint reading, career & character skills, quality & compliance, precision measurement & inspection, benchmark & layout.