Looking for Work? Get Trained & Hired in Manufacturing at No Cost

About This No-Cost Program

Through funding from the Department of Labor under the Dislocated Worker Grant, the ARM Institute, Tooling-U SME, Allegheny County Department of Human Service and New Century Careers are offing training to fast-track individuals interested in manufacturing.

Hybrid Training with New Century Careers and Tooling U SME

New Century Careers is a technical skills development organization serving the southwestern Pennsylvania region through inclusive access to technical training opportunities. Through a hybrid delivery model, New Century Careers (NCC) will make available access to the NCC computer lab in Pittsburgh, along with subject matter experts who will oversee setting up eligible individuals with access to the Tooling-U SME online portal and support through the online training process.

About the Courses

Through this grant, we are offering Tooling U-SME E-Learning licenses at no-cost for those who meet the qualifying criteria detailed further down on this page. The training programs included in this license are outlined below. These programs include the training materials and test for the resulting certification.

  • Robotics in Manufacturing Fundamentals (RMF) Certification
    • Overview: The Robotics in Manufacturing Fundamentals (RMF) credential, focused on the fundamentals of manufacturing robotics, provides a starting point for career pathways in the field of robotics.
    • Who can use this training: RMF is focused on assessing a candidate’s comprehension of fundamental robotics concepts, and may be used by those currently looking to upskill or reskill into manufacturing careers before pursuing equipment-specific or career pathway-specific training in robotics. The credential can help individuals begin a lifelong career in an industry where there is opportunity for advancement and good-paying jobs.
    • Training Length: With each class lasting approximately 60 minutes, the training program can be completed in just a few weeks (typically less than one month) or in one semester as part of an Introduction to Robotics course, offering short-term, but comprehensive, preparation for the certification exam.
  • Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) Certification
    • Overview: SME’s Certified Manufacturing Associate (CMfgA) is an industry certification focused on basic manufacturing concepts, demonstrating an individual’s potential for high-demand, entry-level manufacturing roles.
    • Who can use this training: This certification was designed for individuals new to manufacturing who may not currently possess enough knowledge or experience for more advanced technical certifications. This might include high school students, dislocated workers, and individuals coming from other non-manufacturing sectors who wish to pursue a role as an assembler, manufacturing associate, production laborer and other entry-level manufacturing occupations.
    • Certification: Upon passing the certification exam, individuals will earn a digital badge that will expire after five years, and they may use the credentials CMfgA following their name.

Get Started

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Pittsburgh Training

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Qualifying Criteria: Please select all qualifying criteria that apply. These are detailed later on this page.(Required)

Qualifications

In short, you qualify if you meet the guidelines set forth in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and are located in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Not sure if you qualify? Email us at [email protected] and we can walk you through qualifying factors.

You qualify to receive the training above at no-cost if you fit into one or more of the categories below:

  • Terminated or Laid Off, or Received a Notice of Termination or Layoff, from Employment
    • This category applies to you if you have been terminated or laid off and you are eligible for or have exhausted entitlement to unemployment compensation; OR if you have been employed for a duration sufficient to demonstrate attachment to the workforce but are not eligible for unemployment compensation.
    • You must also be unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation. Some situations that fall under this criteria include:
        • Dischargement from the military within the last 12 months whose duties are not transferable to civilian life
        • Your skills are no longer relevant to your previous occupation
        • Termination from your previous employment without a reference
        • You lack the skills or education for a current in-demand occupation
        • You lack the physical or mental capacity to return to a previous occupation
        • Your commute to a job for which the individual has the skills or education is in excess of an hour in each direction
        • You have not obtained employment in previous your field after applying for 6 jobs
  • Plant Closure or Substantial Layoff
    • You have been terminated or laid off, OR have received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment as a result of any permanent closure of OR any substantial layoff at a plant, facility, or enterprise. A substantial layoff is defined as any number greater that 3% of an organization’s workforce.
    • You are currently employed at a facility where the employer has made a general announcement that such facility will close within 180 days.
  • Self-Employed Individual
    • You were self-employed (including employment as a farmer, rancher, or fisherman) but are unemployed as a result of general economic conditions in the community in which the individual resides or because of natural disasters.
  • Displaced Homemaker
    • A displaced homemaker is a stay-at-home mother or father who unemployed or underemployed and who is no longer financially supported by their spouse.
  • Military Spouse
    • You are married to a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and have experienced a loss of employment as a direct result of relocation to accommodate a permanent change in duty station of such member.
    • You are married to a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and meet the criteria of a displaced homemaker who is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.