The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), the manufacturing industry’s developer of skills standards and credentials, is delighted to announce the formation of our new Advisory Council. The NIMS Advisory Council includes subject matter experts from the manufacturing industry and top educational institutions across the nation.

“The council, working closely with NIMS staff, will help NIMS bring high-quality products to market faster to ensure better alignment between training programs and the skills most demanded within advanced manufacturing,” said Montez King, Interim Executive Director, NIMS.

On Friday, June 2, 2017, the NIMS Advisory Council held its kickoff meeting at NIMS headquarters located in Fairfax, VA. The meeting included the appointment of:

• Jack Krikorian, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Lead CNC Instructor, Technology Manufacturing Association (TMA), as NIMS Advisory Council Chair
• Joan Cook, Executive Director, RICOWI, Inc. as NIMS Advisory Council Vice Chair
• Iven May, Manufacturing Industry Manager, Autodesk Education at Autodesk, as Chair of the Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) Credential Subcommittee
• Jim Steele, Vice President, Curriculum Development at Amatrol, as Chair of the Industrial Technology Maintenance Subcommittee

"I am excited about the opportunity to serve as Chairman of NIMS Advisory Council and to be able to have more of an impact on the next generation of manufacturing leaders in the United States. As chairman, I am committed to ensuring NIMS will continue to offer the highest quality in standards and credentialing” said Jack Krikorian, Chair of the NIMS Advisory Council and Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Lead CNC Instructor at TMA.

"It’s wonderful to see so many industry leaders volunteer to assist NIMS in this formal review system of continuous improvement to the NIMS standards and processes. This system will allow the standards to keep current with the rapid changes occurring within the industry, as well as provide verified quality workers to these companies” said Joan Cook, Vice Chair of the NIMS Advisory Council and Executive Director at RICOWI, Inc.

In addition to supporting the development of new standards and credentials, the Council will also provide technical expertise for NIMS trainings including instructor workshops. View the full list of NIMS Advisory Council members.