Dive Brief:
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The Campbell’s Co. has invested $500,000 in workforce accelerator nonprofit Per Scholas’ first advanced manufacturing technician training program, the soup and snackmaker announced Wednesday. It is scheduled to launch in the Milwaukee area next year.
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The investment includes a $250,000 grant for program development, according to the press release. Per Scholas visited Campbell’s manufacturing facilities, conducted interviews with experienced technicians and watched the company’s high-speed production lines to inform its training curriculum.
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The remaining $250,000 will fund the first cohort of 25 trainees over a 15-week program, Campbell’s said. The collaborators aim to prepare students for roles such as manufacturing and automation technicians
Dive Insight:
The training will cover industrial electricity and motor-driven systems, fluid power, troubleshooting and precision maintenance, according to a news release.
The program will also cover industry-standard safety credentials, including an Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s 10-hour training and the National Fire Protection Association’s electrical safety in the workplace course. Under the law, OSHA requires workers coming in contact with electric hazards go through safety training.
The program was the result of a year-long collaboration between Campbell’s and Per Scholas.
Per Scholas carried out extensive research on the technical skills required in the current manufacturing environment, the nonprofit said in its press release. Additionally, Per Scholas performed a workforce benchmarking study of over 200 technicians to identify the critical skills necessary for industrial maintenance.
The nonprofit’s research led to the 400-plus-hours advanced manufacturing technician curriculum.
“Manufacturing is evolving rapidly, and employers need technicians who can bring both technical skills and the ability to adapt to increasingly sophisticated industrial environments,” Caitlyn Brazill, Per Scholas’ president, said in a statement. “Our partnership with The Campbell's Company allows us to build this program from the ground up around the needs of modern manufacturing.”
Per Scholas aims to use the new program as a framework to bring the curriculum to other communities across its network in the United States, specifically “strong manufacturing ecosystems” in regions and areas with unsatisfied demand for skilled technical talent.
The new program aligns with Per Scholas’ Resilient Careers in the AI Era effort, in partnership with Focusing Philanthropy. The two nonprofit organizations aim to raise $50 million to train people for skilled jobs expected to open over the next three years in “physical tech and critical infrastructure.”
Per Scholas is taking other measures to respond to the rapidly growing expansion of artificial intelligence in the workforce, according to Focusing Philanthropy. The organization is working with potential companies in developing career paths for well-paid jobs in elevated demand at data centers, automated factories, fabrication plants and other advanced and highly-engineered, specialized facilities.
Wisconsin’s state government is also investing to prepare workers for advanced manufacturing skills. On Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development announced $6.6 million in grants to 82 companies operating in the state. The funds allow the awardees to train 3,823 workers through the Wisconsin Training for Resilient Advanced Industry Needs employer grant program. Recipients include Sargento Cheese, Mercury Marine and the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co.
WisTRAIN aligns with Evers’ workforce and AI task force strategy that includes developing a talent pipeline for laborers interested in AI, supporting those laid off due to the technology and increasing training access.
