Across the country, companies struggle to find skilled workers for advanced manufacturing jobs. Over the next decade, more than 2 million jobs could go unfilled, according to industry analysts. At the same time, thousands of veterans are making the transition to civilian life. A San Diego nonprofit is stepping up as a matchmaker.
Workshops for Warriors outfits former service members with in-demand skills in welding, machining, and advanced manufacturing, a gateway for jobs in artificial intelligence and robotics.
“We’re taking this pool of raw talent of people that have served their nation, that are ready to help America in their next life,” says Hernàn Luis y Prado, a U.S. Navy combat veteran who founded the organization in 2008.
Workshops for Warriors offers three classes three times a year. More than 500 people are on the wait list for each class. Course graduates often get multiple job offers.
Veterans train at the organization’s San Diego headquarters and earn national accreditation so they can take those skills where the jobs are. Workshops for Warriors has graduates in every state, Luis y Prado says, and 94 percent of students obtain jobs in advanced manufacturing after completing the program. Some have signed on at cutting-edge companies like SpaceX and Tesla.
The nonprofit plans to expand to a total of six locations over the next decade. The founder is sure of demand, both from veterans and from industry.
The manufacturing work force is aging rapidly; in advanced manufacturing, the median age of workers is 59. At the same time, more than 1 million service members are expected to leave the military in the next five years. Many will be in their mid- to late 20s.
“In 15 years, who is going to rebuild our nation?” Luis y Prado asks. “Who’s going to build our ships, our aircraft carriers, our skyscrapers? Who is going to be able to usher in America’s next wave of intellectual innovation if not people that we train now?”
