The Manufacturers’ Partnership is an association of Rhode Island based manufacturers who share the belief that investing in workforce development is key to becoming world-class competitors. Our mission is to enhance the global competitiveness of Rhode Island’s manufacturing sector through collaboration, world-class education and technology. The uniqueness of the Manufacturers’ Partnership is its emphasis on collaboration and pooling of resources among manufacturers, providing needs-based educational and professional development programs, and delivering excellent customer service. The partnership has coordinated training for over 2,500 manufacturing employees from over 140 Rhode Island manufacturing companies in the past two years.
Although the average discount the partnership offers is 50% under retail cost, many manufacturers have stated that the low course costs are a secondary benefit when taking into account the course quality and user-friendly scheduling procedures. High-quality curriculum is developed relevant to companies’ collective workforce development needs and training is provided at various partner locations throughout the state to meet the needs of all RI manufacturers and to foster an environment of shared learning. Training programs may also be customized to meet companies specific training needs.
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Governance Structure
The CEO Roundtable, comprised of presidents and CEO’s of local manufacturing companies, serves as the Board of Directors to the Manufacturers’ Partnership by establishing the strategies, the goals, and the policies and procedures that govern the partnership.
The CEO Roundtable not only serves as the voice of the manufacturing industry cluster on issues of workforce development, but also networks with other associations that serve manufacturers in the creation a unified provider network that is responsive to the business needs of the industry.
The main objective of the partnership’s Steering Committee, consisting solely of manufacturing employees, is to understand and respond to the training needs of the manufacturing community (employers and employees) in Rhode Island by creating a broad array of high-quality, cost-effective training programs which work to address the workforce development needs of Rhode Island manufacturers. All partnership training programs must be approved by the Steering Committee and are evaluated on a cost-benefit basis, as well as the quality of instruction.
Work-based Learning
The goal of the Manufacturers’ Partnership Work-Based Learning initiative is to develop an effective connection between the manufacturing industry and education. Through classroom presentations, facility tours, job shadowing and job rotation, student internships, and teacher externships, the Manufacturers’ Partnership offers meaningful experiences for everyone involved, in a multitude of areas, including: general manufacturing, jewelry, plastics (in conjunction with the RI Plastics Partnership), textiles, and woodworking.
The need for a highly skilled, high-performance workforce in the Manufacturing Industry has never been greater. The future workforce must be able to work and succeed in this competitive environment. Through this program:
* Students will be given the opportunity to have the hands-on experience needed to meet the demands of industry standards;
* Employers will be able to ensure the future of their workforce; and
* Educators will be able to incorporate industry demands into their current curriculum.
By aligning the Manufacturing Industry with education, it will spark a life long learning process that will enable all parties to prosper and grow. To involve your company or school in the Manufacturers’ Partnership Work-Based Learning Initiative, please contact Deborah Cook at (401) 272-5478.
RI Manufacturers’ Resource Guide
The Manufacturers’ Partnership has compiled the RI Manufacturers’ Resource Guide, a reference manual of agencies that provide services or financing to Rhode Island manufacturers. The directory enables manufacturers to easily access information regarding their individual/collective industry needs. All providers included in the Rhode Island Manufacturing Service Directory have identified only their top three competencies to ensure future clients are hiring the right person to address their business need(s). The directory, available on-line at www.mfgri.com, helps manufacturers find specific solutions for the following:
* Engineering Design, Research & Development,
* Quality Issues,
* Environmental Issues,
* Purchasing, Production,
* Sales/Marketing,
* Human Capital,
* Finance,v
* MIS/Operations,
* Management,
* Corporate Planning, and
* Legal Issue
