Sixth Round of AMP it up! Matching Grants Now Available to Connect Students with Advanced Manufacturing Careers
October 16, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Meggie Quackenbush, MassDevelopment, 617-330-2011 & 857-208-2777 (cell)
mquackenbush@massdevelopment.com
MassDevelopment is now accepting applications for matching grants to eligible organizations that will create innovative programs to educate students and adults about career options in advanced manufacturing. The Agency is announcing these grants during Massachusetts Manufacturing Month, and the grants are the sixth round available through the AMP it up! campaign, which promotes advanced manufacturing as an attractive career path to students and young people. Through the community-based programs and activities that grant recipients will develop, MassDevelopment will work with these organizations to dispel common misconceptions about manufacturing and bolster the prospective employee base for these quality jobs. To view the grant application, click here.
In a complementary effort to promote careers in advanced manufacturing, MassDevelopment is holding a fourth edition of the AMP it up! Video Challenge, which invites students to research the inner workings of an advanced manufacturing innovation and show in a two-minute video how it impacts the world around them. An online balloting tool will allow the public to help determine the winning videos, which will earn cash prizes donated to their schools. The top three videos will each win $5,000 in funding for a total of $15,000 in prize money.
“AMP it up! is a creative, engaging way for young people and students to discover the rewards of pursuing advanced manufacturing as a career path,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “Massachusetts is at the forefront of advanced manufacturing and this program is part of a comprehensive strategy to meet the strong demand for a highly-trained workforce in this growing sector.”
“Massachusetts is leading a renaissance in advanced manufacturing, but we still need to do a better job preparing workers to fill the large number of available positions,” said Sen. Eric P. Lesser, Senate Chair of the Manufacturing Caucus. “AMP it up! grants help make those career paths real for students and adults, fueling job growth in our communities with opportunities in manufacturing, an industry that is increasingly high-tech and high-paying.”
“The Amp it up! program is vital to the efforts at igniting interest in manufacturing opportunities for our students and young people,” said Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy, House Chair of the Manufacturing Caucus. “This sector is vital to the Massachusetts economy and contributes to more than 10 percent of gross state product. Today’s advanced manufacturing uses sophisticated processes, makes revolutionary products, and requires highly skilled workers. And it’s important to develop the next generation of manufacturers so that we can continue to be successful in the arena.”
“Through AMP it up! and our financing products for companies, MassDevelopment works to shed light on the bright future of advanced manufacturing and the rewarding careers in this important field,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Lauren Liss. “We are pleased to offer a sixth round of AMP it up! grants and to launch the fourth AMP it up! Video Challenge, through which we will partner with community organizations and schools to promote manufacturing in Massachusetts.”
Eligible applicants for the AMP it up! grant program must be Massachusetts-based nonprofit organizations that address education and workforce issues. The application deadline is December 1, and grant awards will be made in January 2018. In the first five rounds of grants, MassDevelopment provided more than $470,000 to 49 partnerships across the Commonwealth. Programs included internships and facility tours to educate female high school students about manufacturing careers, robotics competitions, and efforts to connect veterans to machining shops and training programs. All partnerships are required to have at least one Massachusetts manufacturer as part of their collaboration. For more information about the program, visit the AMP it up! website.
MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2017, MassDevelopment financed or managed 377 projects generating investment of more than $4.3 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are projected to create about 9,488 jobs and build or rehabilitate 1,863 residential units.
