As part of its commitment to build a globally competitive workforce, NIMS is pleased to announce new upgrades to its rapidready training program, Right Skills Now. In partnership with community colleges, employers and workforce development organizations, the accelerated internship model prepares and places individuals in in-demand jobs in 16 to 24 weeks.

Right Skills Now has had widespread impact in communities across the country,” says NIMS Executive Director, James Wall. “It is a proven model that quickly equips individuals with market-driven skills and credentials they need for in-demand jobs and provides a high-quality workforce—trained to industry standards—for employers.

NIMS and its partners developed Right Skills Now in response to the skills gap in manufacturing, which will account for two million unfilled jobs over the next decade. Right Skills Now currently focuses on in-demand skills in CNC operations, programming and machining, which will account for 14 to 22 percent of job growth by 2024. The fast-track training solution builds on the success of and demand for industry-recognized credentials and competency-based learning in both education and industry. Participants earn a career readiness credential and four stackable NIMS credentials through an education partner, and then acquire fundamental workplace experience and skills through a company-sponsored internship. Key principles of Right Skills Now include:

• Fast-Tracked, For-Credit Career Training – the accelerated route, using modular curriculum, allows individuals to gain credentials and academic credit
• Industry Credentials with Value in the Workplace – this model supports students in their transition to employment while continuing their studies and their accumulation of industry-recognized credentials that have immediate value in the workplace
• Pathways to Advancement and Degrees – participants continue to achieve their educational goals while they are working to help them advance within their career pathway

Right Skills Now can be used as an entry-level training program for new or transitioning employees or as a pre-apprenticeship program that provides foundational skills and experiences for individuals pursuing full-time apprenticeships.

Right Skills Now is active in seven states across the country and is an industry best practice for training and placing individuals in in-demand entry-level precision manufacturing jobs. Right Skills Now also serves as a core workforce development strategy rolled out by Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), focusing on preparing a high quality manufacturing workforce across Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

The Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA) recently rolled out a scholarship program to enable schools interested in implementing Right Skills Now to cover the cost of credentialing for their students.