The Manufacturing Institute works to build and strengthen the manufacturing workforce for individual opportunity, community prosperity and a competitive manufacturing industry for the future.

1) The Manufacturing Institute's Heroes MAKE America initiative builds connections between the military community and the manufacturing industry. Its primary focus is to connect transitioning service members, veterans, National Guard members, reservists and military spouses with manufacturers and opportunities in the manufacturing sector. 2) The Manufacturing Readiness Badge Project aims to facilitate the transition of separating service members and veterans into civilian manufacturing careers by leveraging digital badges to align military-acquired skills with industry needs. By promoting widespread adoption of digital credentialing tools among veterans and employers, the project will expand the use of digital badges, enable employers to more effectively recruit skilled workers, and foster a more efficient skills-based hiring ecosystem. Each badge issued represents a set of translated and validated skills earned by the service member throughout their military career, aligned to civilian industry standards. Badges issued by the project, and endorsed by the Manufacturing Institute, quickly communicate these applicable skills for job seekers and employers, create a work-ready pipeline for employers, and standardize the translation of military training into civilian employer terminology.