MD MEP's First Manufacturing Boot Camp Proves Successful

MD MEP’s First Manufacturing Boot Camp Proves Successful in Providing Qualified Candidates for Hiring to Local Manufactures in Baltimore, Maryland

Manufacturing Boot Camp Provides Training to Help Increase Employability & Workforce Readiness

Columbia, Md. – From Monday, October 20 – Tuesday, November 25, the Maryland Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MD MEP), a nonprofit based on Stanford Boulevard that is dedicated to advancing manufacturing in Maryland, successfully delivered a six-week-long Manufacturing Boot Camp.

The program, made up of 24 total participants from the Baltimore area resulted in 12 candidates successfully finishing the program. Of those that completed the program, 2 candidates have already been hired and 2 others have received offers of employment from local Baltimore manufacturing firms. During the next week, employers will be conducting second interviews with the remaining group of candidates and MD MEP anticipates that at least an additional 7 - 8 candidates will obtain job offers. MD MEP’s boot camp program focuses on taking unemployed and under-employed candidates and providing them with a mix of life, basic job and basic manufacturing skills necessary to increase their employability and prepare them for jobs in the manufacturing industry.

The Maryland Manufacturing Boot Camp Program was funded through the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation’s EARN initiative and is built on a partnership model combining industry, employers and organizations committed to the growth of the manufacturing sector and the improvement of Maryland’s workforce. MD MEP partnered on the Baltimore boot camp program with three local manufacturing firms: Berry Plastics, Pompeian Olive Oil and Green Bay Packaging. These companies provided learning and educational opportunities for the applicants as well as potential job opportunities for qualified candidates who completed the program. In addition to the employers, the Boot Camp was delivered in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), an organization that coordinates and directs workforce development initiatives responsive to the needs of Baltimore City employers and job seekers in order to enhance and promote the local economy. Additionally, MD MEP partnered with the Center for Urban Families (CFUF), and accepted several successful graduates of their STRIVE program, a program that prepares participants for the workforce that forces on sharpening job-seeking and job-readiness skills and improving workplace behavior, appearance and attitude, into the Boot Camp. Participants engaged in an intensive six-week-long program focused on developing a baseline set of skills that would improve performance and increase their ability to immediately contribute to manufacturing operations. Through our partnership with Three Strings Strong, MD MEP was able to help provide the students with the proper leadership, problem solving and team building components of the boot camp.

During the six-week-long curriculum, candidates took part in manufacturing aptitude testing and TABE assessment for math and reading levels; were instructed on math and reading as it relates to manufacturing; were coached on internet etiquette; performed manufacturing simulations; executed team building exercises at William J. Myers Pavilion; worked a day in the life experience at multiple manufacturing facilities along side potential future supervisors; and practiced basic manufacturing, Human Resource, interview, life, safety and quality skills.

On the final day of the boot camp, MD MEP hosted a Graduation Ceremony to celebrate candidates’ successful completion of the organization’s first full-length, Baltimore-based Manufacturing Boot Camp. Graduation Day took place at Rusty Scupper Restaurant in Baltimore, Md. and included remarks from MD MEP’s Michael Kelleher on the success of the boot camp and its candidates, certificate ceremony for qualified candidates, and networking opportunities for the participants and employers.

“By hosting this program in Baltimore, we were able to provide local unemployed and under-employed candidates with a perfect mix of necessary skills to help increase their employability and prepare them for jobs in the manufacturing industry, as well as provide local employers such as Pompeian Olive Oil, Green Bay Packaging and Berry Plastics with the opportunity to hire well-trained candidates that are deemed to be successful in the workplace,” said Mike Kelleher, Maryland MEP Chief Operating Officer.

“The Mayor’s Office of Employment Development is pleased to partner with MEP in its first Regional Boot Camp project,” said Karen Sitnick, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development. “This is an excellent opportunity for Baltimore City job seekers to acquire in-demand skills leading to immediate interviews for job openings in Baltimore City’s manufacturing industry.”

Through collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships like the one with MOED, CFUF and Three Strings Strong, MD MEP strives to strengthen the quality of the workforce in the state, improve upon the skills and expertise of candidates in the manufacturing industry, and contribute to the economic growth of the State of Maryland.

About Maryland Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MD MEP):

The MD Manufacturing Partnership is an organization that works with partners throughout the State like the Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland (RMI) and others focused on growing manufacturing in the State of Maryland by providing resources and services to manufacturers statewide. Through collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships, MD MEP helps its clients expand their business, educate their workforce, and create mutually beneficial connections with other Maryland businesses. For more information, please visit www.mdmep.org.

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