About Dream It Do It
Job Openings with DIDIWNY
Dream It Do It Overview
The Dream It Do It Western New York objective is to inspire and motivate young talent, particularly middle and high school students, to enter manufacturing career pathways.
DIDIWNY is an initiative powered by the Buffalo Niagara Manufacturers Alliance (BNMA) and the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier (MAST) in partnership with manufacturers, schools, post-secondary institutions, economic development, workforce development, community based not for profits, governmental agencies and private foundations.
Position Overview
In order for DIDIWNY to achieve its ambitious mission, a dynamic Director is required to focus on working with school districts and with manufacturers in Niagara County, NY. The Dream It Do It Director will be responsible for implementing programs and activities to achieve the objective of inspiring and motivating young talent, particularly middle and high school students, to enter manufacturing career pathways. This position will manage day-to-day program administration, support program development, implement programming, coordinate community engagement, and conduct outreach efforts that bridge manufacturers and schools.
Job Descriptions
The Workforce Challenge/Opportunity
Manufacturing is the third largest industry sector in the Western New York region. The five-county region of Western New York including Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara County served by Dream It Do It Western New York (DIDIWNY) includes over 1,615 manufacturers, employing 70,000 people and generating $26.8 billion in manufacturing shipments per year. Manufacturing the WNY region accounts for 12% of the total workforce which is well beyond the 8% national average. Over the next 10 years, industry estimates indicate that, due to retirements and growth , there will be a substantial shortage of qualified employees to fill this gap. Without a concerted effort through a private, public and education partnership to address the manufacturing workforce demand, the Western New York economy will be devastated, leaving manufacturers unable to produce, grow, and meet the challenges of competing in our global economy.
Among the priority skilled job categories are welding, machining, electro-mechanical technician, mechanics, quality assurance inspecting, and electrical and production operations. The average salary in these roles is $50,000 in addition to health insurance, retirement and paid vacation benefits.
An up-turn in the economy, compounded by the re-shoring of manufacturing has helped the sector rebound and gain strength in Western New York. A reinvigorated manufacturing sector will require a skilled workforce to continue this growth pattern. Dream It Do It Western New York (DIDIWNY) is addressing the workforce needs of manufacturers through the coordination of stakeholders and resources.
Throughput: Reaching Students & Educators
Since its inception in 2009 Dream It Do It Western New York has facilitated over 75,000 student and teacher interactions through a variety of programs including hands-on technology experiences, technology competitions, tours of manufacturing facilities and manufacturing technology based presentations.
Outcomes: Changing Perceptions & Increasing the Availability of Workers
Changing Perceptions
While the common perception of young people and the community in general is that manufacturing is dirty, dark and dangerous, Dream It Do It in our region is changing that view of manufacturing.
Each program implemented by Dream It Do It surveys its participants to understand how the interaction influenced the perceptions of those participating.
Dream It Do It WNY Mission and Vision
Dream It Do It Western New York is proactively responding to the workforce challenges faced by manufacturers. Our mission is to increase the skilled workforce pipeline entering manufacturing careers.
The Dream It Do It manufacturing career initiative is a program of the Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier, with a vision to provide local manufacturers with a labor force that has the skill and training levels required to meet their demands.