How We Help

Manufacturers have struggled to recruit future workers and the impacts of this will likely worsen as a large segment of the current manufacturing workforce is approaching retirement age. A group of employers, education institutions, local government, training providers, and other stakeholders known as the Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (GCAMP) have prioritized their resources toward strategies to reverse this situation.

We help by educating about the leading manufacturing industries, jobs, training, education, and workforce development resources.

What We Do

We connect manufacturers to educators and students interested in manufacturing as a career pathway. We host career nights for area middle and high school students and their parents to see advanced manufacturing in action. Also sponsored buses of students to attend trade shows such as IMTS and FABTECH. 

With workforce boards, collaborated on an innovative manufacturing internship program that has won national and state recognition Worked with local secondary schools and community colleges to support dual credit/advanced placement courses to get students on a STEM manufacturing career path and much more.

Changing the Perception

The Greater Chicago Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (GCAMP) has been addressing the skills gap problem in manufacturing for over 10 years. We have been changing the perception of manufacturing in the following ways:

  • Offered open houses to area middle and high schools students, parents to witness advanced manufacturing
  • Sponsored buses for students to experience advanced manufacturing at trade shows like IMTS and Fab-Tech
  • Assisted Harper Community College to redevelop an advanced manufacturing program that now has some 350 enrolled students with the potential for 1,000+
  • Provided manufacturing scholarships to Harper’s program with plans to support other training providers
  • Collaborated to initiate a manufacturing internship program in conjunction with workforce boards that has won national and state recognition for its innovation
  • Worked with local secondary schools and community colleges to support dual credit/advanced placement courses to get students on a STEM manufacturing career path with college credit prior to attending a two or four-year college