The Production & Manufacturing Institute: A Model for Building Manufacturing Talent

A high school student recieves coaching from Spokane Community College's welding faculty during the 2025 Production and Manufacturing Institute.

This year’s Production and Manufacturing Institute (PMI) did exactly what modern workforce programs must do: let students experience manufacturing

, not just hear about it. Over several fast-paced weeks, high schoolers formed product teams, designed, manufactured, and sold real products, visited local manufacturers, and learned shoulder-to-shoulder with professionals at welding stations and CNC mills. The outcome is as practical as it is inspiring: students leave with a clear line of sight to careers in the trades and advanced manufacturing—and with the confidence that comes from doing the work, not simulating it.

What PMI Actually Does—and Why It Works

PMI is built around an authentic production cycle. From day one, students work as a team to ideate, prototype, plan production, and bring a product to market. They tour manufacturers, meet executives and frontline pros, and get hands-on shop time in welding and machining—often their first exposure to the trades in a professional environment. The program’s culture is clear: this is not a camp. It’s a live, expectations-driven workplace experience where others count on you to show up, contribute, meet standards, and solve problems together. That clarity—paired with real tools, real processes, and real outcomes—creates the spark our industry needs.

This year’s program underscored PMI’s “learn by doing” ethos with tangible experiences—students welded alongside industry mentors, ran CNC mills at Spokane Community College, and saw modern manufacturing up-close on site tours. Those moments convert curiosity into commitment, giving students a feel for pace, precision, quality, and safety that can’t be conveyed in a classroom.

PMI’s model also recognizes the human side of the talent pipeline. Graduates aren’t just exposed to tools—they practice teamwork, communication, problem solving, and accountability. They learn how to read customer expectations, set a “definition of done,” and make trade-offs between speed, cost, and quality. In short, they start thinking like manufacturers.

What Makes PMI Different

Many programs “teach about” manufacturing. PMI lets students be manufacturers for three intensive weeks. Three things set it apart:

1. A real work cadence. Students are embedded in a production rhythm from day one—daily huddles, visible metrics, checkpoints, and a customer deadline. That cadence mirrors what entry-level employees will encounter on the floor.

   
   

2. End-to-end exposure. From concept to cash, learners see the whole system: design, prototyping, scheduling, production, quality, marketing, and sales. That systems view is rare in short-form programs and gives students context for the many career lanes in our sector.

   
   

3. Community-anchored partnerships. PMI is delivered with and through local employers, colleges, and school districts. That means relevant equipment, authentic tours, and direct hiring pathways—plus a growing network of sponsors that makes the program sustainable and scalable. 

PMI’s “not another camp” stance is more than a slogan. It sets participant expectations and asks for professional behavior—showing up on time, being safe, owning outcomes. Those norms are as valuable to employers as any technical skill. And because PMI pairs this with visible sponsor support and, in some years, learner incentives, it signals to students and families that manufacturing is a serious, supported choice. 

Why This Matters Now

Even with a cyclical slowdown in parts of U.S. manufacturing, retirements aren’t pausing. The Manufacturing Institute (the workforce affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers) forecasts that 3.8 million manufacturing jobs will need to be filled by 2033; absent bold action, 1.9 million of those roles could go unfilled. Both growth and retirements drive that shortfall—and it remains a competitiveness and national security issue if we don’t expand the pipeline.

At the same time, reshoring and nearshoring are real. The Reshoring Initiative estimates that reshoring and foreign direct investment accounted for roughly 244,000 announced U.S. manufacturing jobs in 2024, with 2025’s trajectory dependent on policy and investment confidence. Critically, when manufacturers are asked what’s required to rebuild capacity, “improve the skilled workforce” is consistently near the top of the list. Incentives, buildings, and machines matter—but without people, lines won’t run.

This is the core challenge in “bringing manufacturing back” quickly: we do not yet have enough ready talent—especially in the skilled trades—to scale at the speed desired. The shortage isn’t just headcount; it’s also interest. Many students still carry outdated perceptions of manufacturing. Programs like PMI tackles both problems head-on by creating early authentic experiences that reshape perceptions and build job-ready behaviors.

How PMI Can—and Should—Scale

Given the success of this year’s Institute, it’s time to get it “out there.”  The model is designed to be franchised across regions with local partners: employers supply tours, mentors, and funding; colleges support needs with equipment and faculty; school districts supply teachers, learners, and logistics; chambers, workforce councils, and other agencies convene funding and visibility.

Scaling PMI also aligns with what national data says we must do: inspire more young people earlier and create clear on-ramps into paid training and employment. Programs like PMI complement apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, community college pathways, and employer “learn & earn” models. Together, they create a local talent pipeline that is visible, credible, and fast.

A Call to Business

Manufacturing’s next decade will be defined by those who can grow talent as effectively as they grow throughput. The Production and Manufacturing Institute is showing what that looks like today.

To learn more about PMI, explore the program’s overview and “Experience Manufacturing” guide, or connect about sponsorships and expansion opportunities at www.manufacturinginstitute.net

Here's to your success!

Wade