1. T. DiFilippis
May 21, 2015
Cloud & Fire
YouthBuild*
*A free alternative public high school in partnership with John
Muir Charter School
Advanced Manufacturing
Pre-Apprenticeship and Internship Program
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2. T. DiFilippis
May 21, 2015
Manufacturing
Workforce Development
According to the numbers, approximately 10 million young people
in America are out of work or underemployed. Traditional approaches to
youth employment no longer work. More must be done to create
intentional transitional opportunities for America’s youth to connect to
viable living-wage jobs. With 2.5 million teens and 8.2 million 20-24 year-
olds out of work or underemployed , we must give special attention to1
building bridges with local employers who are needing a workforce that
has specific skills. While 40% of U.S. employers struggle to fill more than
5 million open jobs, millions of young adults are neither working, nor in
school .2
American Manufacturing is experiencing a renaissance.
Manufacturing’s employment multiplier was 6.0 in 2009, which means
that one manufacturing job is responsible for five additional jobs in other
sectors of the economy . California is the largest manufacturing state in3
the country with 1.2 million jobs in that sector contributing 230 billion to
the state’s economy. The opportunity to equip the workforce pipeline for
this sector is significant. At a time when 80% of manufacturers’ report a
Sarah Ayers, “America’s 10 million Unemployed Youth Spell Danger for Future Economic Growth,” (Washington:1
Center for American Progress, 2013), available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/
2013/06/05/65373/americas-10-million-unemployed-youth-spell-danger-for-future-economic-growth/
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “Making Youth Employment Work: Essential Elements for a Successful Strategy,”2
available at http://www.uschamberfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Making%20Youth%20Employment%20Work.pdf
Gene Sperling, July, 2013, remarks by the Brookings Institution, “The Case for a Manufacturing Renaissance available3
at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/
the_case_for_a_manufacturing_renaissance_gene_sperling_7-25-2013_final_p....pdf
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3. T. DiFilippis
May 21, 2015
moderate to severe shortage of skilled resources , vocational education4
programs are in a position to accommodate a very real need. Especially
when you consider that workforce training isn’t keeping up with the
changing labor market. Census figures from 2011 showed that 2.8 million
manufacturing workers, or ¼ of all manufacturing workers, were 55 or
older .5
Cloud & Fire YouthBuild is stepping up to provide critical workforce
preparation for the local manufacturing industry in the San Fernando
Valley. Over the past several years CFYB has provided a number of
interns to manufacturers’. Our interns have the reputation of being
excellent workers and are hired into full time capacity every time. The
most favorable response from employers’ has been the quality of work
ethic our students possess. With this positive track record, CFYB is now
moving to the next level in creating a Pre-Apprenticeship program.
The program will contain approved curriculum and meaningful
hands-on training lasting 18 weeks (one semester). Designed in
collaboration with industry, this program incorporates key elements that
are proven to provide rich exposure to the field of manufacturing.
Elements include: Industry tours, Work Ethic training, MSSC Curriculum,
Project-based Learning, EduFactor, Campus Tours, Career Speakers, and
Industry Exposure. The vision of this program is to launch students into
employment and formal manufacturing apprenticeships. Our current list
of partners include: NTMA, Repairtech Intl., Klune Industries, Prompt
Accenture and Manufacturing Institute, 2014, “Out of Inventory: Skills Shortage Threatens Growth for U.S.4
Manufacturing, available at http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-2014-
Manufacturing-Skills-Training.pdf
CA Economy Manufacturing blog, April 4, 2013, “Making Manufacturing Cool Key to Revival in California, available5
at http://www.caeconomy.org/reporting/entry/making-manufacturing-cool-key-to-revival-in-california
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4. T. DiFilippis
May 21, 2015
Machine, Xceliron, LAVC, NVOC, Goodwill of So. Cal., and the LA County
WIB.
On March 5, 2015 a Manufacturing Apprenticeship Summit was
held at Los Angeles Valley College sponsored by the NTMA and Cloud
and Fire YouthBuild. The data from that event strikingly reflected what
we’ve been hearing from industry over the past several years (pie charts
listed below). The Pre-Apprenticeship model of workforce training is
strongly endorsed by the California Careers Partnership Trust Grant, the
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, the Governor’s
Office, the California Workforce Investment Board, the Department of
Labor, the Employment Development Department, and the State of
California Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
Creating a workforce strategy that is demand driven, truly reflective
of the needs of industry is what vocational education offers. The Cloud &
Fire YouthBuild Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship program is a solution
focused approach to workforce and economic development.
For more information contact Tracy DiFilippis @ 818-782-2911
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