Cooperative Agreement 70NANB23H164

PURPOSE: FUND A PILOT PROJECT THAT EXPLORES A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LIBRARY SYSTEM TO BRING HANDS-ON MANUFACTURING BOOTCAMPS TO LOW INCOME, UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. BRING MANUFACTURING EDUCATION AND TRAINING TO RESIDENTS, EDUCATING THEM ABOUT MANUFACTURING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, AND PROVIDING THEM WITH HANDS-ON TRAINING WORKSHOPS. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED: A ONE-DAY WORKSHOP FOLLOWED BY A TWO-WEEK MANUFACTURING CAREER DISCOVERY BOOTCAMP. THE TWO-WEEK BOOTCAMP INCLUDES A VARIETY OF HANDS-ON PROJECTS, CAREER COACHING, RESUME PREPARATION, OSHA10 TRAINING AND MOCK INTERVIEWS, AND GUARANTEED JOB INTERVIEWS WITH MULTIPLE EMPLOYERS ON THE FINAL DAY. AT THE END OF EACH BOOTCAMP, CANDIDATES RETAKE THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT TO TEST THEIR PROGRESS AND ARE ASSESSED BY BOOTCAMP INSTRUCTORS. THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED TO EMPLOYERS PRIOR TO THE FINAL DAY INTERVIEWS.EXPECTED OUTCOMES: BY 2030, THERE IS EXPECTED TO BE 2.1 MILLION ADVANCED MANUFACTURING JOBS GOING UNFILLED BY THE LACK OF SKILLED WORKERS. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE MANUFACTURING COMMUNITY TO START LOOKING BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL GROUPS TO RECRUIT NEW WORKERS. THIS PILOT PROJECT WILL EXPLORE A PARTNERSHIP WITH A PUBLIC LIBRARY AS A NEW LOCATION FOR HANDS-ON MANUFACTURING BOOTCAMPS. BY DELIVERING THE WORKSHOP AND THE BOOTCAMP AT A COMMUNITY-BASED LIBRARY LOCATION, PARTICIPANTS ARE NOT LIMITED BY TRANSPORTATION, HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES SUCH AS HELP FINDING NEW JOBS AND CAREERS. IF SUCCESSFUL, THE PILOT PROGRAM COULD BE SCALED AND OFFERED AT OTHER LOCATIONS TO CREATE A PIPELINE OF PEOPLE READY TO LAUNCH A CAREER AND HELP STRUGGLING MANUFACTURERS TO HIRE ENTRY-LEVEL AND SKILLED CANDIDATES. INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE MANUFACTURING CAREER DISCOVERY BOOTCAMP WILL HELP ADULTS WHO ARE UNEMPLOYED, UNDER-EMPLOYED, ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED OR HAVE CRIMINAL BACKGROUNDS ACQUIRE THE SKILLS NEEDED TO LAUNCH A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN MANUFACTURING. THE PILOT PROJECT WILL BE LOCATED IN HIGH-NEED, LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY IN THE GREATER TAMPA BAY AREA.SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: AMSKILLS, THE SUBRECIPIENT, WILL WORK WITH THE TAMPA BAY LIBRARY SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC LOCATION FOR THE TWO-WEEK BOOT CAMP. THEY WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAY-TO-DAY OPERATION OF THE BOOTCAMP, OUTREACH TO RECRUIT NEW CANDIDATES FOR THE PROGRAM, AND SETUP OF THE DIGITAL RECRUITMENT TRAILER.