A main goal of the Multi-State Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (M-SAMC) is to ensure the skills being taught in the classroom align with the skills needed on the manufacturing floor. Industry partnerships are crucial to understanding those needs and meeting this goal. Recently, Gadsden State Community College hosted a one-day seminar where representatives from the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) shared how to use economic and labor market data to engage industry partners. Key points discussed in the seminar included how to use data to understand economic engines, identify companies driving growth, develop strategies for engaging potential industry partners, and anticipate industry partner skill needs.

The seminar, Using Labor Market Intelligence (LMI) to Engage Industry Partners, will be hosted at other M-SAMC partner colleges in the future. Check the Events section of the M-SAMC website for more details.