Manufacturing Renaissance

Manufacturing connect (mc) is a program designed to inspire, prepare, and support youth and young adults to pursue career pathways in Manufacturing. Mc is a community-based program serving in-school and out-of-school youth to provide high quality, career pathway programming including career exposure, technical training and work experiences to help young people start and keep good paying jobs in Manufacturing. Mc includes the young manufactureres association (yma) and new initiative developed to continue providing career and peer supports to young adults new to working in manuracturing or who are interested in starting training or a career-track job in manuracturing. To-date mc/yma is responsible for 323 youth completing 582 work experiences; 238 youth earn 348 industry credentials; 95 young adults being placed in 141 full-time manuracturing jobs averaging 1-year retention on the job and earning $15/hour plus benefits.

Ownership conversion is a partnership between Manufacturing Renaissance, safer foundation, chicago federation of labor, local initiative support corporation (lisc) chicago, world business chicago, cook country bureau of economic development and the Illinois state treasurer. The purpose of the project is to help retain chicagos industrial base by arranging the aquisition of Manufacturing companies through ownership succession by groups of employees and high road entrepreneurs, particularly african-american and hispanic men and women.

Established in 2005, the chicagoland Manufacturing Renaissance council (cmrc) is a network that convenes stakeholders from different sectors who support the programs and policies that expand the Manufacturing sector in the chicagoland area as a strategic vehicle for promoting inclusion, community and economic development.