IIE and Alcoa Foundation Successfully Placing Unemployed Youth in Manufacturing Jobs

Manufacturing Day is an annual national event executed at the local level supported by thousands of manufacturers as they host students, teachers, parents, job seekers and other local community members at open houses, plant tours and presentations designed to showcase modern manufacturing technology and careers. In celebration of Manufacturing Day on October 7, 2016, the Institute of International Education (IIE) and Alcoa Foundation are proud to be supporting a special youth program in which 16-23-year-olds learn valuable job skills and find employment through paid internship programs in manufacturing. Through this program, 500 students in eight communities across the globe received paid internships to find gainful employment, and 73% of those who completed the program are currently employed or enrolled in a workforce training or education program.

The manufacturing industry struggles to find qualified candidates to fill positions while the unemployment figure among youth hovers in the double digits, at 10.4%. The outlook for women is even worse: underrepresentation of women, combined with the real or perceived bias toward men in this industry. IIE and Alcoa Foundation’s Global Internship Program for Unemployed Youth are working to change those statistics. The program is designed to provide youth with paid internship programs to learn both on-the-job skills as well as critical soft skills needed to succeed in a sustainable and rewarding career in manufacturing.