Operation Next, Powered by LIFT (Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow) has launched as a pilot program for Fort Campbell soldiers and transitioning veterans from other bases to Fort Campbell, Kentucky in an effort to transition soldiers to open jobs in machining and industrial technology.
Local partners have included the nonprofit organization Workforce Essentials, which will manage the program’s operations, and Tennessee College of Applied Technology, where the soldiers will complete lab work.
The certification body is NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills) for critical functions in computer numerical control machining and industrial technology.
The Project Lead for Operation Next is LIFT. LIFT is a Detroit-based, public-private partnership committed to the development and deployment of advanced lightweight metal manufacturing technologies, and implementing education and training initiatives to better prepare the workforce today and in the future. LIFT is one of the founding institutes of Manufacturing USA, and is funded in part by the Department of Defense with management through the Office of Naval Research.
This latest initiative provides high-level technical training to separating service members while they are still on active duty, moving them to a civilian career in the shortest time possible from a blended self-paced curriculum and connecting them to open manufacturing jobs. LIFT’s employer members include some of the largest manufacturers in the country and their suppliers.
The hybrid virtual and lab-based program gives you credit for what you already know, delivers focused training on the additional technical skills you need, and provides you with nationally-portable credentials that prove to any employer you’re ready for the job.
Upon completion of the program, the service members will earn national industry credentials from NIMS which will be equipping separating military personnel with the skills and credentials needed for the most in-demand advanced manufacturing careers.
For more information about this highly successful program, please contact Eric Horton, Fort Campbell Soldier Transition Program Coordinator at the American Job Center located in Clarksville @ 931.905.3580 office | 931.218.3535 cell.