NIICA's Director of Workforce Innovation receives HI-TEC Industry Recognition Award for work on expanding nation's talent pipeline

Weinman recognized for advancing NIICA's mission to build a robust national talent pipeline for high-tech industries through National Talent Hub and strategic partnerships

HANOVER, Md., Aug. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert Weinman, Director of Workforce Innovation at the National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement (NIICA), is the recipient of the 2024 HI-TEC Industry Recognition Award. Supported by the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (NSF ATE) program, HI-TEC (High Impact Technology Exchange Conference) is a national conference on advanced technological education where secondary and postsecondary educators, counselors, industry professionals, trade organizations, and technicians can update their knowledge and skills.

Charged with preparing America's skilled technical workforce, the conference focuses on the preparation needed by the existing and future workforce for companies in the high-tech sectors that drive our nation's economy.

The HI-TEC Industry Recognition Award recognizes key industry personnel for outstanding contributions to the promotion of technology education. Nominees for this award must have had a demonstrated impact on technology education on both the local and national levels.

Weinman has been a leader in developing the talent pipeline for the emerging semiconductor and advanced manufacturing workforce through his work on NIICA's National Talent Hub (NTH). The NTH was developed with the support of NSF-ATE to be a national system to support regional talent pipeline development and enable the pursuit of careers in tech and advanced manufacturing. Weinman was a Co-Principal Investigator on the NSF grant that funded a major component of the NTH development.

Weinman works with colleges across the country, helping them to leverage the NTH to align their programs to industry needs through a detailed competency analysis, and to connect community colleges and universities and their students to advanced manufacturers and tech industry employers. This process is automated through the Hub, which matches industry jobs—and any evolving competencies involved—with education programs and outcomes in real time.

"Rather than create new curriculum, we can inform existing curriculum by conducting a detailed competency analyses and identifying specific gaps in educational programs. This enables training providers to determine how well their courses are aligned with industry requirements and what needs to be added to fill any gaps, ensuring that students receive a comprehensive and relevant educational pathway," said Weinman.

"This means that those seeking jobs can accurately assess how well their current skills align with job requirements and understand precisely where they need further development-and what training and education options are available to fill those gaps. Our goal at NIICA is to create a true educational development pathway that bridges the gap between academia and industry, preparing students for high-tech careers and meeting the evolving needs of employers."

Weinman has worked closely with the Micro Nano Technology Education Center (MNT-EC) at Pasadena City College (California) as it enters into a new partnership that will provide students at colleges affiliated with MNT-EC (an NSF ATE center) free access to the NTH's job portal.

The NTH also supports NIICA's USDOL contract to establish and expand Registered Apprenticeships (RAs) throughout the semiconductor sector and broader nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing related industries.

NIICA's Growing Apprenticeships in Nanotechnology and Semiconductors (GAINS) program, currently involves 89 RAs in 17 states with over 4,800 apprentices committed to its programs supported by the Institute's national network of over 50 community colleges that provide Related Technical Instruction (RTI). The NTH and GAINS represent key components of NIICA's national strategy to build the nation's talent pipeline in support of the semiconductor industry and advanced manufacturing. 

For more information about HI-TEC, visit www.highimpact-tec.org. For more information about NIICA's work, visit www.niica.org.

About the National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement
NIICA is a 501(c)(3) with a mission to identify roadblocks to innovation in strategic industry sectors, those important to the U.S. national security and global competitiveness, and ensure they are eliminated. NIICA is responsible for a national strategy to support the development of the talent pipeline to support advanced manufacturing and the tech sector - with a particular focus on the semiconductor industry supply chain.

NIICA's National Talent Pipeline Development Initiative represents a comprehensive, nationally integrated approach that enables broader participation by promoting skills-based learning and hiring, connecting the public education system, returning service members and their families and adults from other occupations to related technician and engineering careers. For more information about NIICA, visit www.niica.org.

SOURCE National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement