The Association For Manufacturing Technology President Douglas K. Woods reacted positively to the news that President Obama is endorsing a manufacturing skills credentialing system to boost manufacturing jobs growth as part of his Skills for America's Future initiative launched last year. Skills for America's Future is an effort to improve industry partnerships with community colleges to ensure that America's community college students are gaining the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the workforce.

"I am encouraged by the President's speech today that he understands the importance of training and credentialing to building a manufacturing 'smartforce,'" Woods says. "The factory floor today is very different from what it used to be, and we need workers who are up to the job.

"For more than two years now, AMT has emphasized the crucial role of public-private collaboration between industry, government and schools in meeting the demands of the new manufacturing workplace. The Manufacturing Extension Partnerships should be an integral part of this collaboration as the ideal conduit between the stakeholders."

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