Building Our Future
TOGETHER
DRMA's WorkAdvance
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Building our Workforce Pipeline. Together.
WorkAdvance is a program to create a pipeline of talent for your entry-level manufacturing positions from our region’s untapped workforce. WorkAdvance is a proven initiative to recruit individuals with no manufacturing experience; it intentionally seeks out those who aren’t currently applying.
We work with community-based organizations that are recruiting, screening, providing manufacturing fundamentals and career-readiness training, and coaching people to fill your entry-level manufacturing positions.
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Contact us to learn how you can position your company to interview and hire these candidates.
What's the Value of WorkAdvance for Manufacturers?
DRMA members list the shortage of skilled workers as their most pressing challenge. We have long been the region's leader in workforce initiatives. With the addition of WorkAdvance, we are able to create a pipeline of talent for your entry-level manufacturing positions from our region’s untapped workforce. WorkAdvance is a proven initiative to recruit individuals with no manufacturing experience. It intentionally seeks out those who aren’t currently applying.
No Cost To
Participate
A Supplement To Your Recruiting Strategy
Access to a Job-Ready Workforce
Choice In Who You Interview and Hire
The WorkAdvance Progam
Designed to recruit, screen, and train people from our untapped workforce to fill entry-level manufacturing positions.
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Recruiting & Screening
For interest and suitability
Career Readiness Training
Workplace skills, soft skills, math brush-up
Technical Skills Training
Certified Manufacturing Associate
(manufactruring fundamentals)
Job Placement
With local manufacturing employers
Coaching
Supports job performance to aid in early retention
Do You Qualify to Participate?
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Have entry-level positions and openings?
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Hourly wage equal to or greater than the living wage for the participant's home county ($~16.00)?
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Have tangible benefits (like PTO, health insurance) and opportunities to advancement?
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Your culture welcomes employees from diverse backgrounds?
Program Roots
DRMA first initiated the WorkAdvance program under the federal Good Jobs Challenge (GJC) grant as a sub-recipient of the Ohio Manufacturers Association. From 2023-2026, we developed, piloted, and successfully executed various models of the WorkAdvance program with community training partners such as The Equity Center, Greene County Career Center, Miami Valley CTC, Miami Valley Works - Goodwill Easter Seals, and Sinclair College, resulting in 119 individuals placed in Good Jobs and over 200 individuals exposed to manufacturing careers.
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Post-GJC, we're operating the WorkAdvance program alongside our community partners to continue to address our manufacturers' #1 need for support: filling the workforce pipeline.
Get Involved!
Proven Success
Noble Tool Corp. is one member of DRMA who participated in the DRMA WorkAdvance program. Jim and Noble Tool employee Mckeisha Hamilton speaks of the value and success in an article in the May edition of Manufacturing Engineering.
