To all Associations, Machine Tool Builders, Contract Manufacturers, Machine Distributors, Colleges and Universities:

Recently, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) joined The Workforce Alliance in its quest to give every U.S. worker access to at least two years of technical education or training that would lead to a vocational credential or an industry-specific certification. The announcement of the Skills2Compete campaign is aimed at providing skill-specific education that will match America's workers with the jobs that U.S. employers are trying to fill.

That is great news, but it is reinventing the wheel in regards to the certification of metalworkers – we have NIMS and we all need to stand behind one nationwide, accepted certification standard.

The National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) has issued more than 16,000 credentials to metalworkers and future metalworkers. NIMS has also accredited more than 160 schools and training facilities, many of which have articulation agreements with colleges giving students a head start when entering college on a full or part time basis.

Also, the NIMS National Guideline Standards for apprenticeship have been certified by the United States Department of Labor.

NIMS is responsible for the Student Summit at IMTS and for the Precision Machining competition at the annual SkillsUSA Championship.

Most industrialized countries have only one jurisdiction issuing trade skills or apprentice certifications, unlike the United States where there are hundreds of often well-meaning organizations that issue certifications of mixed values. Only a nationwide portable, acceptable and respectable skills certificate will allow employers to hire someone without putting the applicant through the wringer.

Our workers are suffering under the present system because they are often hired at a much lower wage during a probationary period because the employer has no other means to measure the skill level of a new employee.

Oh yes, many educators and even industry people feel that the NIMS accreditation and certification standards are too demanding.

Present and future skill level requirements in just about any trade are much higher than in the past; therefore, only a well-educated skilled workforce allows our industry to be competitive in the global market place.

Benchmarking reports in regards to the skill level of the U.S. metalworking students and apprentices in comparison to other industrialized countries show disappointing results.

We place confidence in the work of an ASE certified automobile technician, the AWS certified welders who perform critical work on bridges, high rise building and pressure vessels. We especially trust mechanics that must carry FAA approved A&P certifications in order to work on civil aircraft avionics, airframes and power plants.

No one seems to be concerned about having a uniform certification process for metalworkers who produce all critical components for aircraft engines, automobile brake systems, surgical instruments, and thousands of other life depending applications.

I respectfully ask each and every one of you to consider joining NIMS in its efforts to provide U.S. metalworkers with one and only one nationwide accepted and respected skills certification. America's workers deserve our joint efforts to give them the tools for a well-paying occupation. Our efforts will also help our manufacturers stay competitive.

NIMS wants to work with other organizations as long as the result is a certification that does not duplicate an existing NIMS certification, or for that matter a certification from any other organization based on standards equal or higher than NIMS requirements. There are certain situations where an organization is better suited to create and issue certifications for certain special tasks. Case-in-point: NIMS endorses the Laser Cutting Certificate Program co-sponsored by SME and the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA).

The NIMS Board of Directors are all volunteers and all pay their own way. Most of them are directly involved in the metalworking industry. Many participate on the advisory council of educational facilities and are represented on the boards of other skills-oriented organizations. Persons interested in joining the NIMS Board may contact Executive Director Steve Mandes via email: smandes@nims-skills.org.

Together we can work together to improve America's workforce in order to maintain a strong manufacturing base in the U.S.