Improving collaboration and communication for manufacturing workforce development nationally.

To support and strengthen MEP Centers in their offerings of workforce-related services, NIST-MEP invested $1 million in the new “America Works” program, hosted by MAGNET, in 2020. The goal of America Works is to improve the collaboration, communication and cooperation of MEP Centers nationwide, allowing for scaling of successful programs, sharing of best practices nationally and greater local impact for the Centers themselves. By giving MEP Center staff the latest knowledge and tools to help their clients, America Works assists companies in filling their open positions, while helping more Americans earn living wage salaries.

America Works is run by Executive Director Matthew Fieldman, and coordinates several critical activities, including:

• The national MEP workforce survey, which is then published as an interactive database
• Regular best practice webinars, spotlighting what’s working in any one of 40 areas of workforce development
• The annual FireWorks conference, which draws more than 100 practitioners to Cleveland for two days of networking, sharing and learning

• DEI-focused outreach, learning and discussion groups, to help MEP Centers improve their efforts to create a more equitable manufacturing industry
• Working with external partners – including companies, nonprofits, federal agencies and more – to bring their expertise to the MEP National Network
• Innovation grants to support MEP Centers trying new workforce strategies
• Finding and sharing useful resources, from curricula to marketing materials
• Coordinating three “Stronger Together” manufacturing-focused missions to Germany in 2022 and 2023