GE Foundation Joins Baker-Polito Administration in Addressing the Advanced Manufacturing Skills Gap

GE Foundation today announced a $2.5 million grant to launch the Advanced Manufacturing Training Expansion Program (AMTEP) in Lynn and Massachusetts’ North Shore. The new five-year program complements the Baker-Polito administration’s Workforce Skills Cabinet and will triple the region’s training footprint, reaching more than 900 high school students and adult learners by 2024.

“With support from the Baker-Polito administration and Congressman Moulton, the GE Foundation and our partners are building a diverse, well-trained workforce that will accelerate advanced manufacturing across the North Shore,” said Linda Boff, President, GE Foundation, and Vice President for GE. “This new initiative will help address the region’s skills gap by supporting and coordinating technical training for residents while meeting the talent needs of manufacturing employers.”

“Our administration has made expanding workforce training and career education a priority through the efforts of our Workforce Skills Cabinet, and we are pleased that our investment in Lynn Tech will be amplified by the complementary funding from the GE Foundation,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The new Advanced Manufacturing Training Center at Lynn Tech, coupled with GE’s training program, will help to close skills gaps on the North Shore in high-demand positions.”

"It was clear that with new advanced manufacturing work flowing into the North Shore, like the $500 million GE ITEP program I helped secure through Congress, we would need to train up a high-skilled workforce to remain competitive,” Rep. Seth Moulton said. “The investment we are announcing today is informed by years of hard work and will help anyone on the North Shore who wants to get the skills they need to land a good-paying job. It will pay massive dividends for Lynn and the North Shore.”

AMTEP will focus on priming high school students from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute, Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School, and Gloucester High School, as well as support underemployed, unemployed and underrepresented adults such as veterans, minorities and women, to enable diverse community members to enter the advanced manufacturing workforce. The program will train additional educators to deliver advanced manufacturing curriculum and increase the number of enrolled students across the North Shore’s vocational schools, including launching the first-ever adult program in Gloucester. The North Shore Community College will offer foundational literacy and mathematics training to better prepare adult learners for the program.

The Baker-Polito administration’s $2 million Skills Capital Grant, a program of the administration’s Workforce Skills Cabinet, will support an Advanced Manufacturing Training Center at Lynn Tech to address manufacturing sector workforce skill gaps prioritized by the Cabinet’s Northeast Regional Blueprint. The state funding will also be used for the purchase of much needed equipment at Lynn Tech, increasing the number of machines housed within the program and updating outdated equipment in order to provide the ability to enroll more students into the program, and the opportunity for students to program, learn and practice on industry-rated machines.

“Part of our administration’s strategy to introduce more students to opportunities in STEM has been to develop and expand career and college pathways, and Skills Capital Grants like this to Lynn Tech are a key way we can do just that,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, co-chair of the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council. “We are excited about all that is possible from the ongoing collaboration between the Commonwealth, private partners like GE, and our local officials and educators.”

“Tackling the skills gap in industries like advanced manufacturing is key to ensuring that the Commonwealth’s economy continues to grow, our residents continue to find great jobs, and our employers find the workers they need,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy. “I am proud of the level of collaboration that went into making this center and program possible. This partnership with the GE Foundation to create a future workforce that will strengthen the regional economy on the North Shore stands as an example of what is possible when state government and private partners work together.”

AMTEP will be implemented in partnership with the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Consortium and the Essex County Community Foundation. The program will launch an advisory committee of stakeholders, including representatives from manufacturing companies, to ensure the training initiatives will address the skills gap and meet the employment needs in the region for years to come.