Today President Barack Obama will visit a Golden Valley, Minnesota facility of the Honeywell company to request action from Congress on a "To Do List," to which includes the passing of the Veterans Job Corps legislation.  Additionally, the President will announce a We Can't Wait initiative to assist the nation's service men and women with manufacturing skills to establish industry credentials, such as those offered by NIMS, for the purpose of securing civilian employment in the private sector.

These initiatives are a product of the President's Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), which aims to unite industry, education, and government to identify emerging technologies and occupations.  The AMP identified veterans and separating service members as a model resource for these highly skilled occupations.  As a result, the Department of Defense (DOD), under the instruction of the President, created a Military Credentialing and Licensing Task Force.  It is the responsibility of the Task Force to (1) identify civilian occupations in high demand that correlate with existing military specialties, (2) work with civilian credentialing bodies, such as NIMS, to identify and address gaps between military training and civilian credentialing requirements, and (3) increase visibility and accessibility for service members to pursue civilian, industry credentials. 

While NIMS has worked with the Army in multiple capacities, first within the training program at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, and most recently at the Army's Ordnance School in Fort Lee, VA, the initiatives from the White House and DOD have renewed and strengthened the relationship.  The Ordnance School will become NIMS-Accredited and start issuing NIMS Credentials as early as Summer 2012.

The following are quotes from the The White House Office of the Press Secretary, as released on Thursday, May 31, 2012:

Tomorrow's announcement is the first action of the Task Force, and will provide opportunities for up to 126,000 service members to gain industry-recognized, nationally-portable certifications for high-demand manufacturing jobs.  In a recent study by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, over 80% of manufacturers reported moderate to serious shortages of skilled talent for many of the jobs that require these types of certifications.  Due to the high-quality of their military training, our veterans have the skill sets that employers demand to fill these credentials.

The new partnership between the Army and the National Institute for Metalworking Skills will allow soldiers who complete machinist training and earn the "Level 1 Machinist" Certification to quality for Honeywell's machinist hiring qualifications.

The Board of Directors and staff at NIMS are honored to assist our nation's brave service men and women in their transition from military to civilian careers, and privileged to continue providing opportunities for active service members at Fort Lee and elsewhere.

For more information on these or any other programs offered through NIMS, please contact our staff at (703) 352-4971 or by email at support@nims-skills.org.