For decades, economic policy and the ebbs of manufacturing were causing the sector to flow almost exclusively outside of the United States, building plants and factories elsewhere across the world. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, manufacturing employment peaked in the U.S. in 1979, amounting to nearly 20 million jobs. As of 2024, that number has declined to less than 12 million.
But change is now stirring in the waters. The pandemic exposed the glaring need for supply chain independence in times of crisis, clean energy tech has boomed as we search to improve electric grids and discussions around trade deficits continue. These are just three of the reasons many believe manufacturing is due for a large and continued comeback.
However, the workforce — which has previously been nearly halved — needs to be rebuilt to meet the surge in demand. The Manufacturing Institute estimates the U.S. will need to fill upwards of 4 million manufacturing jobs by 2030, and as many as 2.1 million of those could go unfilled due to lack of skilled labor. While many regions have seen a complete shift away from manufacturing, some today are showing practical examples of how communities can train modern workers to plug into manufacturing right away.
As a city rooted in manufacturing legacy, Buffalo has naturally seen the core of its workforce evolve as industries and demands have shifted and economies have diversified. It has also led a resurgence built in part through workforce training programs that help to create a new generation of modern manufacturing workers, taking advantage of the region’s industrial history, while still meeting modern needs. This approach is helping the region quickly scale up to meet unique needs by companies looking to expand in the region, providing a blueprint for how other cities can do the same.
Building Today’s Manufacturing Workforce
At heart of how Buffalo is equipped to meet today’s manufacturing demand, and is ready to scale up for more, is the Northland Workforce Training Center (NWTC). The program was launched in 2018 and seeks to bring together a variety of players involved in building a workforce, forming a public-private partnership between employers, educational institutions and state and local governments.
They join forces to close the skills gap in the local labor pool and create economic on-ramps to training, co-ops, internships, apprenticeships and full-time jobs for those in the region seeking advanced manufacturing jobs. It does this by pulling a number of different levers, such as offering one- and two-year certificate and degree programs through partnerships with SUNY Erie and Alfred State College. The program also integrates wraparound support services such as transportation assistance, childcare, financial literacy and career coaching — factors that can make the difference between graduation and dropout.
But what really sets the program apart is its deep connection with power players in industry. Local manufacturing companies like Motivair, Tesla and Moog help shape the curriculum, participating in co-op and internship programs and recruit directly from the student pipeline.
The results speak for themselves. In 2022, NWTC placed 85% of its graduates into jobs with an average starting salary of $39,000 to $45,000 annually — a wage that represents a true pathway to the middle class in the more affordable Western New York region. It’s the mixture of hands-on experience working in real-world environments with quality education in the classroom that makes the program a success.
What Other Regions Can Learn
Buffalo’s recent successes in workforce development can be brought forward to other regions as well, which will be essential to meet the coming rise in manufacturing demand. This starts by engaging both employers and potential workers to ensure solutions are designed with their needs in mind.
The companies doing the hiring know best what skills are needed, while potential workers understand their training barriers and needs. Both must be involved from the start in developing any training infrastructure. Most importantly, regions need to eliminate silos that isolate organizations and limit impact. One organization like the NWTC can make a wide impact, but it takes a number of groups working in concert to move the needle in a meaningful way. This includes groups working in all areas, such as education, labor, manufacturing, economic development and local government.
In NWTC’s instance, they have played into a larger ecosystem of programs and organizations, such as the University of Buffalo, the Buffalo Manufacturing Alliance and Workforce Buffalo, as well as manufacturing companies themselves, to make sure all available resources are being funneled towards the same goals. There can be many well-intentioned groups chasing the same goal separately, but if they allocate resources towards duplicated efforts, it can lead to unnecessary hurdles that are ultimately eliminated through close collaboration and partnership.
While meeting the upcoming manufacturing demand is undoubtedly a daunting task, the blueprint has been made clear: Invest closely in people at the ground-level; align with what industry needs; and remove historical barriers to success through collaboration. Doing so can make sure not only that manufacturing capabilities are raised, but communities get training for and access to high-quality jobs.
