🛠️ Skills and Workforce #32

The UK launches a major tech skills initiative for young people. South Korea's temporary workforce grew as unemployment fell. The Warwickshire fund boosts workforce skills for businesses. GRASP project tackles green skills shortage in construction. Knauf India will upskill 25,000 construction workers via mobile training. Northwest Michigan's Auto Tech program gets $120K for EV training. Rotary's Madison plant gets $5M+ for automation and growth. German company Mosca GmbH opened a manufacturing facility in Johor, Malaysia. Siemens invests $285M to add 900 US manufacturing jobs. 

DIGITAL invests in workforce and AI training for 3,000 Canadians. Penang launches an academy to train 500 GenAI talents. Flex partners with MIT for AI and automation in manufacturing. Three UT campuses received grants to strengthen the rural healthcare workforce. Cuyahoga County partners train more nurse educators. Partnership expands Northern Virginia's healthcare workforce.

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Global Labor Market Trends

💰 PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech. The Government of the UK launched a national skills drive, investing £187 million to boost AI and tech skills. The initiative aims to train 7.5 million workers by 2030, unlocking opportunities for young people in the tech sector.

📜 South Korea’s temporary workforce up 0.5% in May, jobless rate down. South Korea's temporary workforce grew by 0.5% in May 2025, reaching 5 million. This rise coincided with a decrease in the national jobless rate, which fell to 2.8%.

📉 Warwickshire's workforce upskilled with the Skills Escalator Fund. The Warwickshire Skills Escalator Fund is upskilling the local workforce by providing up to £750 per employee for training. Over 350 businesses have utilized this funding to enhance their staff's skills.

Green Skills

🤝 Indonesia, UK’s Aquatera Team Up on Energy Workforce Skills. 🤝  Green Accelerator Skills Programme Launches Cross‑Border.  An $11M GRASP project launched across nine counties in Ireland and Northern Ireland offers 50 green construction courses, including retrofit and heat-pump training, with academies focused on women and labor activation to boost inclusion.

⚡ Construction Workforce to Gain 25,000 New Skills in India. Knauf-led initiative targets upskilling for 25,000 construction workers through hands-on training in drywall and ceiling installation. Focus centers on equipping tradespeople with modern construction techniques and sustainable material use, further supporting India’s green building transition.

🤝 Michigan Secures $120K for EV Technician Training. Northwest Michigan Works and Northwestern Michigan College obtained $120K to launch an electric‑vehicle technician training programme. The funding supports hands‑on instruction in EV diagnostics and maintenance, preparing technicians for a growing clean mobility workforce.

Advanced Manufacturing Skills

🏗️ Rotary Invests $5M in Indiana Plant for Automation and Workforce Upskilling. Rotary Solutions is investing over $5 million to install an automated production line at its Madison, Indiana, facility, increasing output and improving lead times. The project includes training and upskilling current and new employees to support long-term talent growth. As part of VSG’s global strategy, the expansion will create new jobs and boost production, with completion scheduled for early 2026.

🚀 Mosca Opens Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Malaysia with Focus on Local Talent. Mosca GmbH has opened a new advanced manufacturing facility in Ulu Tiram, Johor, where strapping systems and materials are produced. The company prioritizes hiring and upskilling local talent, offering advanced training in Germany and career opportunities for underserved communities. This marks Mosca’s third expansion in Malaysia since 2009, strengthening the country’s role as a destination for high-tech manufacturing investment.

🔧 Siemens Skills-Based Training Program Targets Manufacturing Workforce Gaps. Siemens' skills-based training program prepares individuals from diverse backgrounds for roles in advanced manufacturing. Developed by former educators, the program blends classroom, lab, and hands-on factory training. Focused on soft skills over prior experience, it supports hiring for 800 new jobs by 2026 at Siemens’ Fort Worth facility and is being expanded nationwide to address workforce shortages and improve employee retention.

AI & Digital Skills

💻 DIGITAL Invests $30M to Train 3,000 Canadians in AI & Workforce Development. DIGITAL has announced $30M in new investments to train over 3,000 Canadians in AI and workforce readiness. DIGITAL’s CareerTech and AI adoption programs aim to upskill diverse communities, including Indigenous groups and rural regions. Projects span manufacturing, aquaculture, healthcare, cybersecurity, and more, positioning Canada as a global AI talent leader.

🦾 Penang Launches PGIA 2.0 to Train 500 GenAI Talent by 2026. Penang has unveiled GBS Industry Academy 2.0: GenAI Talent Ready, aiming to train 500 AI specialists by 2026 to power Malaysia’s digital economy. Spearheaded by InvestPenang with support from MDEC, PSDC, and Penang GFG, the program targets IC design, GBS, and automation. Phase 1 kicks off in July 2025, training 100 talents, reinforcing Penang’s role as a key digital innovation and services hub.

🤖 Flex & MIT Join Forces to Reinvent Manufacturing with AI. Flex has become a founding member of MIT’s Initiative for New Manufacturing (INM), aiming to revolutionize production with AI and automation. Graduate and PhD students will work on supply chain resiliency, productivity, and advanced manufacturing jobs. The partnership includes real-world training at Flex’s sites and research collaboration through FIT in Brazil, highlighting a shared vision for resilient, tech-driven manufacturing ecosystems.

Health Skills

🧑‍⚕️ UT Campuses Receive $5M to Boost Rural Health Workforce in Tennessee. The universities selected by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) under the Rural Health Care Pathways Expansion Grants aim to tackle healthcare workforce shortages, creating career pipelines from high school to medical practice. 

💊 Cleveland Clinic & University Hospitals Launch Program to Train More Nurse Educators. The Nursing Clinical Adjunct Faculty Initiative plans to combat the national nursing educator shortage by training experienced clinical nurses as faculty, starting summer 2025. 

📝 Northern Virginia Partnership Launched to Expand Health Workforce Pathways. As part of the Virginia Partnership for Health Science Careers, the new regional initiative aims to build career pathways in critical roles like nursing, mental health, and allied health, strengthening the region’s healthcare system.  

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