Manufacturing Institute reskills workers to meet demand as U.S. manufacturers bring jobs home

During the eight-week shutdown of the eKentucky Advanced Manufacturing Institute (eKAMI) resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, two students enrolled in the program secured CNC machining jobs with manufacturers, and the Paintsville, Ky., school received calls from other companies planning to hire new graduates in the coming weeks. Director Kathy Walker sees this interest as an indication that U.S. manufacturing will see a resurgence, with recent surveys showing nearly two-thirds of manufacturers in North America plan to hire domestically instead of sending jobs overseas.

“There remains a strong demand for high-skilled positions in advanced manufacturing, particularly in automation and robotics,” said Walker, who founded the eKAMI Haas Center along with the Gene Haas organization in 2017 to reskill displaced coal miners and other workers to build the quality workforce needed to attract manufacturing jobs to the region. Students are trained for high-tech positions in CNC machining on the latest Haas equipment in 16- and 36-week immersive courses.

“The COVID-19 situation revealed serious deficiencies in our domestic supply chain,” Walker said. “As a result, we are already seeing signs of a resurgence in U.S. manufacturing, as an increasing number of manufacturers prepare to reshore jobs. Unfortunately, the skills gap remains for higher-level trades, driving the urgent need for automation. Our goal is to respond to industry demand by providing our workforce with the necessary tools to meet that challenge.”

eKAMI practices what it teaches in terms of responding to market needs with advanced manufacturing techniques. When the school first closed its doors to students in mid-March, staff members suggested putting their advanced manufacturing skills—and the 3D printers—to work. They have designed, produced, and donated thousands of face shields to rural front-line medical facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, fire departments, police departments, and correctional facilities, funded in partnership with Pop’s Chevrolet and Citizens Bank of Kentucky. According to Walker, the demand hasn’t waned, so they will continue making and donating the shields, even with their students now back in the classroom.