OUR MISSION To place Veterans and Wounded Warriors into advanced manufacturing careers by providing them with industry-leading training, nationally recognized portable credentials, work experience, and job placement. We are rebuilding America s advanced manufacturing workforce, one veteran at a time. Training is provided at no cost to veterans. Workshops for Warriors is a board-run, fully audited, 501(c)(3) nonprofit offering veterans free training and certification in advanced manufacturing skills.
Placing veterans into advanced manufacturing careers More than 80% of American manufacturers surveyed reported a moderate or severe shortage of skilled workers translating into approximately 600,000 available jobs that are currently going unfilled. This lack of high-skilled labor translates into an 11%, or $4.6M annual loss in revenue to the average American manufacturer. Source: Accenture 2014 Manufacturing Skills and Training Study U.S. Veterans face significant barriers to civilian employment, and a high unemployment rate. We believe veterans can rebuild the advanced manufacturing workforce in the U.S. All of our graduates have been placed into jobs earning competitive livable wages. Our organization s work serves the dual benefit of providing veterans with lifesustaining careers, and helping to regrow America s manufacturing workforce. JOB PLACEMENT RATE: 100% VETS CURRENTLY ENROLLED: 49 GRADUATES: 150 WAITING & INTEREST LIST 550+ Since 2011
Workshops for Warriors, Inc. Classes are FREE to all veterans, their spouses and survivors. We offer classes in Machinery Repair, CAD/CAM, Machining, and Welding Fabrication in 4-month modules. Our students earn credentials from: National Institute Metalworking Skills (NIMS) American Welding Society (AWS) Mastercam University SolidWorks Flow Waterjet Immerse to Learn Occupational Safety Health Admin. (OSHA) American Red Cross For welding, we have 18 booths with state-of-the-art ventilation system and teach the equivalent of a Navy C school. For machining, we offer training on 4 CNC vertical mills (Haas VF2), CNC lathe (Haas ST20). For computer-aided design & manufacturing, we offer training on Solidworks and Mastercam software, and have 8 Haas CNC control simulators for classroom instruction.
What our students say I had all these skills that I learned in the Navy but no way to translate them into the civilian sector. Employers would just look at my resume and have no idea what I was saying or how they can use me in their company and I would walk away with no job. Finding Workshops for Warriors was a blessing because now I take the tools that they are giving me to show how I can be an asset to any company with portable credentials that will be recognized anywhere in the world - Christopher Castillo, 8 years serving the US Navy After completing sixteen months of training at Workshops for Warriors I hold 31 nationallyrecognized credentials. - Paul Filler, 4 years serving the US Marines Corps I have already found two different jobs through Workshops for Warriors in one year of free schooling I increased my earnings by 270% - Mike Gallagher, 5 years serving the US Marine Corps I have struggled with civilian work for over a decade. I just finished my first four-month semester at Workshops. I felt welcome and supported from the very first day. I acquired my NIMS level 1 certification. I received approx. 50 hours of hands-on training on the machines, in addition to classroom and simulator time. If I stopped now, I could get a stable job but my hope is that I will be able to complete the full program here- another three semesters of four months each- and have a great career. I wish that more people in the community could see what happens at Workshops every day. It s been a long time since I had this kind of support to get a career on track. - Jason Madurski, 8 years serving the US Navy
Our biggest challenge is reliable funding We have capacity to train 300 students per year, but only have funding for 50. Our facility costs are $60,000 per month. Each student costs us $7,000 per semester. We do not receive ANY government funding. Our students cannot use GI bill benefits.
How we currently fund our program We keep costs and overhead low so that 95% of our donations go straight to training veterans Donated time from instructors and staff Donated or discounted materials (computers, software, metals, tools) Collaboration with other nonprofits We receive private donations, largely from corporate industry leaders Donated or loaned machinery Financial donations We are funded by a social enterprise, WFW Industries, which uses our facilities and donates all profits to fund our school. $$$ WFW Industries donates all of its profits to Workshops for Warriors, and is Workshops for Warriors largest source of funding.
Corporate Donors & Partners
Our goal is to become eligible for federal funding Step 1: Be in existence for 2 years Step 2: Become accredited (2-7 years can be in parallel with Step 1) Step 3: Become approved as a school by California (application is under consideration) Step 4: Operate as an approved school for 2 years (1 year back-dating allowed) Step 5: Eligible to receive federal funding (September 2016)
What federal funds will immediately achieve Decrease veteran attrition and increase number of veterans able to complete full 16- month program. Publish course offerings and class schedules ahead of time, enabling more veterans to enroll. Teach to facility capacity, increase throughput, and lower per-student costs. Decrease the number of veterans we have to turn away or place on a waiting list. Allow us to focus our efforts and resources on providing training, rather than fundraising. Expand our programs to reach more veterans.
Phase 1: INCEPTION Phase 2: START-UP Phase 3: PROOF OF CONCEPT Phase 4: ACCREDITATION Phase 5: LOCAL OPERATIONS Phase 6: CREATE THE MODEL Phase 7: EXPAND NATIONALLY Develop business plan, Board of Directors, and proof of concept. Obtain 501(c3) legal status. Status: Completed 2008 Acquire initial equipment, facility and raise seed funding. Status: Completed 2010 Develop curriculum, acquire advanced equipment and tooling, begin Pilot Class (welding). Status: Completed 2011 Move into larger facility, develop pathway to educational credentialing and accreditation (NIMS, AWS, SolidWorks, MasterCam, HTEC). Begin offering classes in Machining, CAD, CAM, and Fabrication with certifications. Status: Completed 2013 Expand the Board. Train, certify, and place students in eight classes per semester, six days a week. Achieve sustainable operations and develop required infrastructure to position organization for sustainable expansion. Begin Train the Trainer classes and collect student data. Purchased adjacent property. Exercise option to buy existing property (by July 2015). Build out state of the art headquarters for Advanced Manufacturing Training facility in San Diego. Status: In progress. Projected Goal: June 2016 Expand from this location to Centers of Need (CON) close to manufacturing, military, and veteran concentration areas. Status: Projected 2017 Status: Completed 2014
Our Needs NOW Program Costs $8,000/semester $32,000/full 16-month program Student Stipends $2,500/month $10,000/semester $40,000/full 16-month program Bridge Funding $85k/month ops cost We estimate we are 26 months away from federal funding. $2.21M total bridge funding needed Capital Campaign Land purchase $1.75M Facility build-out $0.5M Main Campus Dev $8M
How Navy Leadership Can Support Us Execute a Memorandum of Agreement to allow us to train onboard an installation. Reach out to Commands to help us train active duty service members under TAD orders. Help us to become an NEC-granting school. Allow us to teach the machining and welding skills most needed.
Thank you for supporting our efforts to help veterans!