The NEW Manufacturing Alliance (NEWMA) will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this June. NEWMA’s vision is that every Northeast Wisconsin manufacturer will find the talent it needs. The Alliance has grown to more than 400 members, representing more than half of the manufacturing workforce in the New North. The significant difference between the Alliance and other organizations is that it is manufacturer-led.

Over the past 20 years there have been dramatic results. Local technical colleges have seen increases in enrollment and graduation rates of manufacturing-related programs by more than 300%. The Alliance membership has supported more than $500,000 in college scholarships. Before the organization was founded, there were no four-year engineering degree programs in the region. Now, with the Alliance’s advocacy, there are hundreds of engineering degree students at UW-Green Bay and UW Oshkosh.

Other NEWMA marquee programs and events include: All Star awards, Internship Draft Day, Excellence in Mfg./K-12 Partnerships Awards, Get Real Math & Science videos, SeaPerch underwater robotics competition, and employability skills and safety videos. The Alliance has conducted several studies including the Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Vitality Index, NEWMA Industry 4.0 study and the Aging Workforce study. These initiatives were created by NEWMA taskforces including: Communications, Industry 4.0, K-12/STEM, Safety and Talent.

The organization has also received more than $1 million in training grants for their members to upskill their employees in leadership, mechanical aptitude and technical skills in areas like automation. Plus, NEWMA has trained more than 1,500 member employees in data analytics, AI, project management and digital skills awareness.

NEWMA thanks Insight Publications for their partnership over the years with Manufacturing First Expo & Conference and NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast.

This article was originally post on Insight on Business