Celebrating Mieka Matthews and the impact she has made at Manufacturing Renaissance!
As Mieka moves on to her next chapter, we want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the incredible contributions she has made to Manufacturing Renaissance over the past 10+ years, including the past two years as our Program Director of Career Pathway Services. Mieka brought thoughtful leadership, a genuine commitment to young people, […]
Success Story: Jarvis is Ready for What’s Next
Jarvis joined our March 2024 YMA cohort with a profound sense of motivation and a pressing need for direction, coaching, and job placement. Initially uncertain about his abilities due to a history of hopping between jobs, he sought consistency and stability. Through dedicated career exploration and personalized mentorship, Jarvis gradually gained confidence and found clarity […]
MR On Industry Week Panel – Building a Diverse Workforce in Manufacturing
Leaders of two respected manufacturing workforce organizations—Chicago’s Manufacturing Renaissance and Cleveland’s Manufacturing Works—joined Production Pulse host Jennifer Ramsay last week for a discussion of the value of building a workforce pipeline in underserved communities. They were joined by Jordan Hooser, the 2016 valedictorian of Max Hayes High School in Cleveland and a Marine Corp. veteran. Hooser recently […]
Career Pathway Services 2023 Highlights
This year, Manufacturing Renaissance has provided training, work-readiness, work experience and placement services to 71 high school youth and young adults across Chicago’s West and South sides through our Manufacturing Connect (MC) and Young Manufacturers Association (YMA) training programs. We improved our program design and resumed in-person training, partnered with a mix of schools and […]
Drew Crowe Visits YMA on Chicago’s Westside
“We might possess every technological resource… but if our language is inadequate, our vision remains formless, our thinking and feeling are still running in the old cycles, our process may be ‘revolutionary’ but not transformative.” – Adrienne Rich Thank you again to Manufacturing Renaissance YMA for hosting me again, and facilitating some amazing conversations….I have […]
MR Joins City of Chicago to Promote Mfg to Chicago Public Schools Students & Counselors
The City of Chicago used Manufacturing Month as an opportunity to acknowledge the importance of the industry to the local economy and promote the opportunities available in the field to Chicagoans. In October, Manufacturing Renaissance was invited by World Business Chicago and the City of Chicago’s Dept. of Planning to join a fieldtrip of Chicago […]
“Hands Up if You Got the Job!”
Hands up if you got a job offer after your 1-week YMA manufacturing internship! 5 of 9 interns got a job-offer right away, the other 4 performed very well and either their host wasn’t hiring or we’ll find the right fit. We’ll be following-up with them this week to find great career-track job opportunities for […]
MR Supports Industry Electric School Bus Working Group Effort to Understand Workforce Needs
The transition to electric school buses (ESBs) will transform communities and we must ensure that a just transition for school bus workers also occurs. To better understand gaps in workforce development for ESB operators and maintenance technicians, CALSTART, Michigan Clean Cities, Manufacturing Renaissance, and WRI’s Electric School Bus Initiative convened an Industry Electric School Bus Working Group that met in a […]
Cook County Features YMA Alumni at Matot, Inc.
The Cook County Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Grant initiative supports community-based organizations working to build the safe and thriving communities that all residents deserve. Since 2022, $110 million in funding has been awarded, supporting 150 community-based organizations that provide culturally responsive violence prevention programming that meets the needs of residents and communities. Manufacturing Renaissance […]
Manufacturing Connect: Partnering with Chicago Public Schools
Photo of recent fieldtrip to Matot in Bellwood, IL As Manufacturing Renaissance keeps training young people for jobs in the manufacturing sector, the organization is working to build its capacity to deliver programming in Chicago’s public schools. That’s what has been happening early this year, as the organization takes steps to work directly with four […]