The Association of Manufacturers Bay Area (AMBayArea) and the Workforce Development Boards are preparing to launch an Online Manufacturing Course Catalog, which will help individuals and companies find online manufacturing training. This new section of AMBayArea’s website will include important course details such as cost and time commitment.

The project was funded by a grant from the Workforce Development Boards (comprised of Alameda County Workforce Development Board, Richmond Works, Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County and Workforce Development Board of the City of Oakland). Its purpose is to help individuals interested in developing or upgrading their skills, including but not limited to, incumbent, furloughed, or laid-off manufacturing workers, laid-off workers from other fields, and new entrants to the U.S. workforce (such as recent high school or college graduates, immigrants, etc.), as well as employers and workforce development board counselors.

The course catalog will include links to programs that are available in a variety of categories, including:

• Machining
• Welding
• CAD/CAM
• Industrial Maintenance/Automation
• Electronics
• Engineering Tech
• Entry-level manufacturing roles (such as assembler)

In addition, the new section will also include an Online Manufacturing Careers Guide with descriptions of manufacturing careers and links to videos and sites with additional details.

Workforce Development Board counselors plan to use the new resources to determine if clients are interested in a career in manufacturing, and then help them narrow down their search to a specific job area and the training available. Employers are encouraged to use the new resources to promote professional development and training among their workforce.

Update: The Online Manufacturing Course Catalog and Online Manufacturing Career Guide are now live.