Getting people back to work and helping employers fill a void is the mission of a local group building a new facility in Holiday.
AmSkills is expanding its footprint right off U.S. 19 in West Pasco County. The company has been around since 2014 and has grown ever since.
"So this facility is going to be a hands-on facility, CNC, machining, manual machining, robotics, automation, simulators, all kinds of things. So it's a place for people to learn hands-on how to do these careers and how to improve their income that they have," explained President and CEO Tom Mudano.
Currently, AmSkills trains students at Anclote High School and has a mobile unit to take to other facilities.
But this new facility hopes to open the door to manufacturing for many more people.
"So we have to be creative in the way that we introduce this, these industries that they don't even know about. So we do it in three ways recruit, train, and sustain. Recruiting is through our high school program, we actually work with Anclote High School, and help kids to learn these different careers that they can then actually start once they graduate. Also, a lot of adults 18 to 24 have no idea what they want to do. How many people do you know who have a college degree and don't know, don't use it? Okay, we don't have the chance to explore. So basically, we have a mobile unit that we go around Tampa Bay, and we run two-week boot camps, that they get to try hands-on things and a lot of different things. But it results in the final day interviews with multiple hiring employers," explained Mudano.
There's a huge need for employees in the manufacturing industry, especially here in Tampa Bay. AmSkills works with 75 manufacturers to help fill that void.
"So these are careers that, again, people don't know about, and there are very well-paying jobs, but you have to have the skill in order to do it. And most people don't think immediately I don't have that skill, I can't do it. We're here to help you learn that skill, put you in the job, and then help you to continue that training," Mudano said.
So how do they do that?
They have instructors like Gary Robinson and Jeff Cole.
Together, they help people learn things like robots, electricity, and building machines.
"They can come to a place like AmSkills and we'll help them to own the skills and to say, hey, wow, you know, it's a new day, it's a new life. So we're happy to have a lot of these people who come and, again, I think it's so very important to have a program like this, I think could be modeled across the country, where different communities benefit from something like this, where we are able to uplift people and change one life at a time," explained Robinson.
While those who are utilizing these programs may know nothing about the machines on day one, they certainly will when the boot camps and apprenticeships are over.
"So the initial reaction is total shock. I just started a Wednesday I started a pre-apprenticeship class. And one of the ladies in the class she said, I'm a nervous wreck. So I told her, I have one rule in my class, you have to have fun. If you have fun, then I'm doing my job, which calmed her down, and she did the work. And I took her around. At the end of the day, she was working on the equipment," explained Cole.
And together, they hope they can get people back to work in something they enjoy.
"But also just because we looked at areas. We are in this lower-income community. We think this is gonna help rejuvenate the community. We've also created our first neighborhood training center in Pinellas County at the Lealman Exchange because if we can have facilities that are in the local community, it also again helps people to say, Hey, I just want to go learn how to build a drone or build a 3D printer. But guess what, that's the first step to action," said Mudano.
This location is set to open in the next few months. But you can still take part in the programming they already have. Click here to find out more.
Cole is also President of the Bay Area Manufacturers Association. They hold regular meetings and events for those in the industry.
