As industrial reshoring continues to add jobs to the economy, academic initiatives around the nation seek to improve workforce development to provide capable employees to growing businesses. The Manufacturing Institute is an organization that aims to refine the skill sets necessary to perform complex, manufacturing jobs. By enabling students to have this ability, they have the opportunity to engage in a growing component of America's workforce, improve their average wages and enter colleges with a career path in mind.

The advantages of these labor force initiatives are especially relevant in states like Indiana, where manufacturing is a key component of economic growth. The state's ability to cultivate a marketplace for a highly skilled labor force provides incentives for training programs like those administered by the Manufacturing Institute. By working with local manufacturing, focus can be brought to specialized manufacturing processes that are required by enterprises within the industrial sector.

These training programs have the ability to attract a broad demographic of students. Manufacturing requires a strong core of mathematical and scientific principles as well as the ability to learn kinesthetically. The duality of capable aptitudes attracts students who are academically excellent without alienating less accomplished students who flourish under learning a new discipline.

The lack of a saturation in the highly skilled manufacturing market has the advantage of making higher wages due to the unique abilities required on their behalf. Eric Spiegel CEO of Siemens USA spoke to the need for more participants in this component of the workforce.

The average liberal arts graduate (from a four-year college) is making less than $40,000" or can't find a position in their field. "Meanwhile, we can't fill these technical jobs." he said.

Learning to utilize business manufacturing software designed for manufacturing processes is another means of developing prospective employees. Accent Software, Inc. provides manufacturers with ERP solutions that can automate the tasks of their skilled laborers to enable more efficient production.