--- title: "Virginia Manufacturers Team Up With Colleges to Attract Young Workers" id: "25893" type: "post" slug: "virginia-manufacturers-team-up-with-colleges-to-attract-young-workers" published_at: "2014-11-04T21:49:23+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T18:22:24+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/04/virginia-manufacturers-team-up-with-colleges-to-attract-young-workers/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2014/11/04/virginia-manufacturers-team-up-with-colleges-to-attract-young-workers.md" excerpt: "Working with community colleges across the state, the Virginia Manufacturers Association hopes to use expanded training programs to attract younger workers to the field as older ones start to retire." taxonomy_category: - "Career Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Employee Training" - "Leadership" - "manufacturing" - "workforce" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Virginia Manufacturers Team Up With Colleges to Attract Young Workers [Like the construction industry](http://associationsnow.com/2014/04/construction-industry-courts-next-generation-workers/) , the manufacturing industry is engaged in efforts to bring younger workers with the right skill sets into the fold, and the [Virginia Manufacturers Association (opens in a new tab)](http://vamanufacturers.com/) hopes to build on them. Last month, VMA announced a partnership with nine community colleges in the state that will become authorized assessment centers for the association’s workforce development program, the [Manufacturing Skills Institute (opens in a new tab)](http://manufacturingskillsinstitute.org/) (MSI). [In a news release (opens in a new tab)](http://vamanufacturers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/MSI-VMA-VCCS-Announcement-10-13-14-FINAL.docx) , the association said the plan will offer students necessary technical skills in areas such as math, manufacturing technology, and business, with an initial focus on expanding the Manufacturing Technician 1 certificate program to direct students to a part of the industry where demand is high. “We knew in 2007 that manufacturers would have a skills gap of approximately 11,000 people a year. We also knew that the largest need was in the manufacturing technician occupation and 96 percent of manufacturers wanted people with these applied and measurable skills,” VMA President and CEO Brett Vassey said. “Although the economic challenges of the last few years slowed demand, it is back, and we need to move quickly, and this partnership between MSI and Virginia’s community colleges will help close the skills gaps for manufacturers.” [Speaking to the Richmond Times-Dispatch last month (opens in a new tab)](http://www.timesdispatch.com/business/manufacturing-skills-program-introduced-at-community-colleges/article_134d25ea-05d5-52eb-ad9d-e53b91dbe477.html) , Vassey noted that the labor force is in the middle of a major demographic shift and that he expects 35,000 people to retire from the industry in the near future. “We are going to need the capacity statewide in a very short time to be able to replace and train a large number of people for production-manufacturing-related occupations,” he said. The following schools are taking part: - Blue Ridge Community College - The Community College Workforce Alliance (which includes John Tyler Community College and J. Sargent Reynolds Community College) - Mountain Empire Community College - Southside Virginia Community College - Tidewater Community College - Thomas Nelson Community College - Virginia Highlands Community College - Virginia Western Community College (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#Employee Training](https://associationsnow.com/tag/employee-training/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) [#manufacturing](https://associationsnow.com/tag/manufacturing/) [#workforce](https://associationsnow.com/tag/workforce/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastWorkforce Development in Associations: AI, Adaptability, and the Power of DEIOctober 15, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/10/15/workforce-development-in-associations-ai-adaptability-and-the-power-of-dei/) - [VideoThe Impact of Delayed Retirement on Your Association’s Bottom-LineFebruary 26, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/02/26/the-impact-of-delayed-retirement-on-your-associations-bottom-line/) - [ArticleHow to Lead on Workforce DevelopmentApril 4, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/04/how-to-lead-on-workforce-development/) - [ArticleHow to Close Workforce GapsMarch 21, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/21/how-to-close-workforce-gaps/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2014%2F11%2F04%2Fvirginia-manufacturers-team-up-with-colleges-to-attract-young-workers%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !