Dream It Do It Western New York

Almost everything you see was manufactured: the laptop you’re surfing on; the chair you’re sitting in; the shirt on your back; the phone in your pocket; and the desk in your classroom. Today’s jobs in manufacturing are less about assembly lines and more about technology. They require skill, innovation, and a commitment to quality. They are NOT your grandfathers’ jobs. Dream It Do It was conceived

by the National Association of Manufacturers as a way to help modern manufacturers attract employees with the right mix of skills. NAM and Deloitte & Touche (an international auditing, consulting, and financial services firm) conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research across the US. They found that an estimated 80 percent of manufacturers reported a "moderate to serious" shortage of qualified job applicants during the recent recession - a problem that is growing more urgent with the increase in global competition and the retirement of Baby Boomers. The research also found that manufacturing has an outdated image filled with stereotypes of assembly line jobs that has kept young people from pursuing careers in this sector. The Dream It Do It campaign was created because we know that these perceptions are seriously out of step with manufacturing's broad range of interesting and financially rewarding careers – like an electrical engineer for a private jet manufacturer; a product developer for a candy manufacturing plant; or a designer at a company that makes MP3 players. Whether it’s the device you’re using to text your friends or the car you’re driving to go and meet them, most of the things we use every day are manufactured. Our goal is to help you bypass the drudge jobs and find something you can really get into. Find your passion. We can help you make it happen. Our mission is to increase enrollment in the technical programs offered in these three counties by 30% per year, every year, until 2015 to support the labor demands of the local manufacturers. Our vision is to provide Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany County Manufacturers with a labor force that has the skill and training levels required to meet their demands by 2015. To do this, we help link students with educational resources and with local manufacturers, and provide presentations and events geared toward students who may want to delve into technology and manufacturing careers. Now…more than ever…when you Dream It, you can Do It.