The initiative is funded in part by the CARES Act and will provide training programs to develop a more highly-qualified manufacturing workforce in Michigan.
LIFT, a national nonprofit based in Detroit, selected Henry Ford College as a learning center for its Operation Next program. The program will provide workforce training for employees of small to mid-sized manufacturers in Michigan, along with displaced workers and members of the Michigan National Guard. Courses will be available in welding, CNC machinery, and robotics. Students can earn credentials that are nationally recognized at no cost. LIFT received CARES Act funding, awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and a grant from the Department of Defense Manufacturing Engineering Education Program.
In a news release from the college, Dean of the HFC School of Business, Entrepreneurship, and Professional Development, Dr. Patricia Chatman, spoke about why the school is well situated to serve as a learning center for Operation Next. "Henry Ford College is in the center of Michigan's manufacturing sector, and we are proud to join with LIFT and Operation Next in connecting students to advanced manufacturing careers," Chatman said.
The same news release explains that Operation Next certifications will be nationally recognized, enabling students to benefit from the training wherever they may go for work. LIFT CEO and Executive Director, Nigel Francis, spoke about the importance of regional partnerships as the program expands nationwide. "Operation Next continues to expand across the region and across the nation due in part to partnerships like this, " Francis said, adding, "The national manufacturing innovation institutes and community colleges play critical roles in educating the manufacturing workforce of the future, and we are proud to partner with (HFC) and move the needle here in southeast Michigan."
A press release from LIFT regarding Operation Next provides details on the evolution of the program, which began as a program linked to military bases as a training opportunity, now open to both enlisted service members and their families. The expansion to civilian spaces occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the jobs lost because of it. Francis said, "As a Department of Defense-sponsored national manufacturing innovation institute, our goal is to drive American manufacturing into the future through technology and talent development. Bringing Operation Next to Michigan keeps us on that mission."