As the National Association of Manufacturers continues building out its 2020 Creators Wanted workforce campaign, NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons released the following statement on the fourth meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board:

“Manufacturers expect to need to fill 4.6 million jobs over the next decade, so the stakes could not be higher for our industry. We have to solve the manufacturing workforce crisis, and bringing together industry executives, academic leaders and federal, state and local officials is exactly the right approach. That is why we are proud to help drive the work of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board alongside Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and it is why the NAM and The Manufacturing Institute are leading the Creators Wanted campaign. This nationwide effort, which will include a national Creators Wanted Tour in 2020, will inspire a new generation to pursue promising modern manufacturing careers.”

The American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, chaired by Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, was established by the Department of Commerce pursuant to Executive Order 13845, establishing the President’s National Council for the American Work-er. The board provides advice and recommendations on ways to encourage the private sector and educational institutions to combat the skills gap crisis by investing in and increasing demand-driven education, training and retraining, including through apprenticeships and work-based learning opportunities.

Timmons was nominated to serve on the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board in September 2018 by Carolyn Lee, executive director of The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce and education partner of the NAM. Timmons also serves as chairman of the board of the Institute. According to a landmark 2018 study conducted by the Institute and Deloitte, the manufacturing industry will need to fill 4.6 million jobs over the next decade, 2.4 million of which are expected to go unfilled. In July, on behalf of manufacturers at the one-year anniversary of the Pledge to America’s Workers, the NAM pledged 1.186 million new training and upskilling opportunities for manufacturing workers.

Ahead of its 125th anniversary and the 2020 elections, the NAM recently launched the “Creators Wanted Fund,” a multimillion-dollar campaign to inspire and drive more Americans to pursue careers in modern manufacturing. The campaign aims to cut the skills gap by 600,000 workers by 2025; in-crease by 25% the number of students enrolling in technical and vocational schools; increase by 25% the number of students enrolling in apprenticeships and reskilling programs; and raise to 50%—from 27%—the number of parents who would encourage their children to pursue a career in modern manufacturing.

For more information, visit www.nam.org.