NFPA Joins Heroes MAKE America Association Partners Network

NFPA Members Given Priority Access to Candidates for Production Floor Jobs

By Eric Lanke
NFPA President/CEO

One of NFPA’s key objectives is to increase the number of people educated in fluid power and connect them to careers in the fluid power industry. Much of our focus in this area has been on the development of fluid power skills among two-year technical college and four-year university students, but with our support of a new program, we can now offer help to our members looking for candidates for their production floors.

In 2018, The Manufacturing Institute launched a new program called Heroes MAKE America (HMA) to offer industry training designed to help our nation’s service members transition into manufacturing careers. The HMA program is an approved Department of Defense Skillsbridge program and is offered to service members in their last six months of military service. This designation means that HMA is different from many other veteran training programs because it enrolls service members while they are still on active duty, thus enabling them to continue to receive military pay and benefits during training.

During the HMA training program, service members earn a Certified Production Technician Certification along with industry credentials including Safety in Manufacturing Production, Quality Practices and Measurement, Processes and Production, and Maintenance Awareness from the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC). Additionally, they receive an OSHA 10 certification and training in forklift operation, resume writing, personal finance and behavioral interviewing techniques to help facilitate their transition to the private sector.

As a member of the HMA Association Partners Network, NFPA will help ensure that:

• NFPA, the fluid power industry, and career opportunities within it are highlighted to HMA class participants.
• NFPA and representatives of its member companies in close proximity to HMA training locations are able to participate in select program activities such as plant tours, guest speakers, networking events, and recruitment events.
• NFPA and its member companies have preferential access to job candidate pools at all HMA locations.

Right now, there are two HMA training locations – Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Hood, Texas. With the support of other associations like NFPA, the Manufacturing Institute has plans to expand the program to other locations. But the candidates within the HMA program are regionally agnostic. These service people are being trained in Kansas or Texas, but they are from all over the country and want to go back to their hometowns when they return to civilian life. One of the unique features of HMA is that is designed to connect the candidates to possible employers in their chosen communities through the Association Partner Network.

We are expecting a list of candidates from the two training locations soon. Please watch for an additional announcement on their chosen communities. NFPA will share the appropriate resumes with any interested NFPA member with production facilities in those locations.