“Direct to Work helps community members gain exposure to industries in Ithaca and Tompkins County that offer living wage jobs and career advancement opportunities,” Heather McDaniel, president of IAED, said. “We’re grateful for the support for this important program.” IAED and its partner, Alliance for Manufacturing & Technology in Broome County, rolled out the DTW […]
“Direct to Work helps community members gain exposure to industries in Ithaca and Tompkins County that offer living wage jobs and career advancement opportunities,” Heather McDaniel, president of IAED, said. “We’re grateful for the support for this important program.”
IAED and its partner, Alliance for Manufacturing & Technology in Broome County, rolled out the DTW program in July 2022. The pilot was a six-week, self-paced training initiative with 25 modules through a certified online curriculum.
Participants who completed the coursework and passed the certified manufacturing associate (CMfgA) test received a $500 stipend and were guaranteed interviews with participating manufacturers. Since the conclusion of the pilot, all program graduates have interviewed with local manufacturers and most were placed and are still employed, IAED said.
The participating companies included Therm Inc., an Ithaca–based supplier of turbine components to all the major original equipment manufacturers, specializing in low-pressure and high-pressure blades and vanes for aerospace and industrial gas turbines.
“Therm supports IAED’s Direct to Work program and has already hired graduates coming out of the pilot. We’re excited to continue our participation in the future,” Joanne Finlay, human-resource manager at Therm, noted in the IAED announcement.
IAED says it continues to work on program development and expects to launch another Direct to Work cohort in February.
