FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Zoraida Velasco – Tel: 407.430.7714 – email: Zoraida.Velasco@FloridaMakes.com
Orlando, Fla. –– President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AmSkills, Inc., Thomas A. Mudano, has been named the first recipient of the FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Organizational Partner Service Award. The Award represents a joint effort between FLATE (Florida Advanced Technological Education Center), FloridaMakes, and FAITE (Florida Association for Industrial and Technical Educators) to recognize contributions of educators and industries in advancing technician education and training on a regional and statewide level. Nominees for the Awards were selected from a pool of nominations submitted from across the state. Mudano will be recognized at the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit and will serve as a panelist for the Best Practice Award Winners Panel at the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education Annual Conference & Trade Show that will be held July 19-21, 2021 at the SeaWorld Renaissance in Orlando, Fla.
AmSkills was established in 2014 as an Economic Development Initiative for the Tampa Bay Region with a mission to transform lives & strengthen communities through workforce training and apprenticeships. Mr. Mudano leveraged his skills/experience in business, nonprofits, and government to become a leading voice for workforce training and apprenticeships. He has been at the helm of the AmSkills organization since 2016, listening to the needs of manufacturers; then developing and implementing creative program solutions based the employer’s needs. Mudano is credited for creating the AmSkills Mobile Workshop and Career Discovery Bootcamp, which is a fast-track, pipeline building program designed to recruit and train vetted candidates into entry-level positions for industry. He also converted AmSkills Apprenticeships into a competency-based model and helped save the only Manufacturing Academy in Pinellas County at Northeast High School. In addition, Mudano helped to established the first Florida Department of Education Registered Adult Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Program in Florida. In 2020, Mudano launched the first Manufacturing Academy at Anclote High School in Pasco and is currently working on implementing a High School Pre-Apprenticeship. He believes if you first focus on the person, providing them with skills and confidence to succeed, it will result in launching careers into the manufacturing industry that have long-term, positive effects.
Previously, he served as the Director of a $2.3 million nonprofit organization, was an owner’s representative managing $55 million construction/technology projects, and owned a marketing company working with several manufacturers and the south Florida chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce and holds memberships with Bay Area Manufacturing Association, Nature Coast Manufacturing Association, and the Florida Suncoast Manufacturing Association. Through Mudano’s leadership, AmSkills has successfully secured more than $7 million in grants and other funding sources.
Mudano states that “Many people do not understand the vast career opportunities available in the manufacturing industry”, and points to past negative public perceptions and a lack of an effective recruiting strategy as some of the gridlocks the industry faces in addressing the shortage in finding skilled workers. Hands-on learning must be incorporated into everyday educational curriculums and creative strategies must be implemented to attract fresh talent and/or individuals who may not have considered manufacturing as a career. “In today’s world many of our youth and young adults don’t know what careers to pursue, because there is no opportunity to explore. AmSkills Career Discovery Bootcamp provides this opportunity for the candidate and helps them to find the right employer that is the best fit for both parties with additional training opportunities as an AmSkills Pre-Apprentice, Apprentice, or employed workers training.”
Mudano’s next project includes launching the AmSkills Workforce Training Innovation Center in Holiday, FL. The 14,000 square feet facility will become a regional workforce training facility and will be the first neighborhood training center targeted to help low to mid-income families to explore careers and increase their skills through innovative ways including the virtual reality VR Bar, outdoor Makerspace areas, advanced manufacturing training workshops, and startup entrepreneurs co-working space.
For information on the FLATE Awards visit http://fl-ate.org/programs/flate-awards, or contact Executive Director of FLATE, Dr. Marilyn Barger at Marilyn.Barger@flate.org.
ABOUT FLORIDAMAKES
FloridaMakes is a statewide, industry-led, public-private partnership operated by an alliance of Florida’s regional manufacturers’ associations with the sole mission of strengthening and advancing Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity, and technological performance of its manufacturing sector, with an emphasis on small- and medium-sized firms. It accomplishes this by providing services focused on three principle value streams: technology adoption, talent development, and business growth. FloridaMakes is the official representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network in the state of Florida, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. For more information about FloridaMakes, visit FloridaMakes.com.
ABOUT THE FLORIDA ADVANCED TECHNOLOGICAL EDUCATION CENTER
FLATE is a Center of Excellence for advanced technological education and is committed to ensuring that Florida has a well-prepared workforce for advanced and emerging technologies in manufacturing by providing educational resources and strategies for curriculum, professional development, and student recruitment in secondary and post-secondary education. FLATE was created in 2004 with a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education Program, which is focused on improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education to meet the needs of American advanced technology industries. In 2020, FLATE became a part of the FloridaMakes network. For more information, visit www.fl-ate.org
ABOUT NATURE COAST MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATION
The Nature Coast Manufacturers’ Association’s (NCMA) primary purpose is to support manufacturers and promote economic development in the Nature Coast Region of Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties. As a part of the FloridaMakes Network, we provide manufacturers in the Nature Coast Region a forum for networking and sharing solutions to common problems. We create educational and learning opportunities that deliver information about the newest manufacturing technologies, the latest in workforce development, best practices, government regulations, grants, cost-saving ideas, and other manufacturing-related topics. NCMA’s members join with manufacturing associations across Florida to develop a strong voice with local, state, and federal legislators, advocating the strengthening and advancement of the manufacturing sector. For more information, visit www.naturecoastmfg.com.
###