The Workforce Newsletter of the Council of Industry

March 13, 2025

Manufacturing Advocacy: Make Your Voice Heard on Apprentice Funding, Unemployment Debt Payment, and Manufacturing Extension Partnership Funding

As State legislature leaders continue to negotiate New York’s 2026 budget the Manufacturing Alliance is seeking to include 2 provisions to benefit manufacturing businesses.

The first is to continue support of our Manufacturers Intermediary Apprenticeship Program (MIAP). The Council of Industry and the Manufacturers Alliance have requested level funding of MIAP in the new state budget -- critical funding to help sustain and grow the program. 

The second is to ask the State to reduce It's Unemployment Insurance Debt. New York State borrowed $billions from the federal government for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program during the COVID-19 pandemic to cover the significant increase in claims, (you may recall the expanded and extended benefits that were provided) and it still has an outstanding loan balance of $6 billion. Presently the state is assessing businesses annually to meet the interest payments on this loan. Costs for businesses have soared as NY continues to delay payment.

Finally, last week the Trump administration announced that they were cutting funding for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. Without this critical federal support, MEP Centers would be forced to operate independently, placing those with the fewest resources—particularly in rural and underserved communities—at the greatest risk of closure. This seems particularly at odds with the administration’s focus on reshoring manufacturing.



Click Here to support any – or all – of the above

The Board of Directors of the Council of Industry have announced the 2025 Manfuacturing Champions. This year we are excited to recognize 2 outstanding individuals who, through vision, dedication, hard work, and tireless involvement have helped to overcome some of the many obstacles faced by manufacturers in the Hudson Valley community and in so doing they have made it possible for manufacturers and their employees to prosper.’ Join us in celebrating this year’s honorees at the Champions Award Breakfast and Workforce Developers Expo April 25, 2025 at West Hills Country Club in Middletown.

Gretchen Zierick, president of Zierick Manufacturing in Mt. Kisco, Westchester County, is being recognized for a career dedicated to growing her manufacturing business, supporting workforce development, encouraging and mentoring women in the field of engineering and a strong commitment to the manufacturing sector in the Hudson Valley.



Thomas Fassell, a Science Teacher at Marlboro High school, was selected in recognition of his outstanding dedication to preparing the next generation of manufacturing and engineering professionals. Fassell founded the Engineering program at Marlboro and has a strong, long-standing collaboration with Council of Industry manufacturing members—including IBM, onsemi, Sono-Tek, President Container, and FALA. He has been instrumental in ensuring that students gain real-world, hands-on experience that aligns with industry workforce needs.

The breakfast is filling fast so reserve your seat today!

Thank You Champions Award Breakfast Sponsors!

Corporate Sponsor:

Supporting Sponsors:

Creative Sponsors:

Breakfast Expo To Showcases the Region’s Manufacturing Workforce Players and ‘Ecosystem’

For the 4^th consecutive year the Manufacturing Champions Award Breakfast will include an expo featuring the many schools, colleges and organizations that support the manufacturing workforce development in the Hudson Valley. Part of the celebration of our Manufacturing Champions is the acknowledgment that workforce development is of critical importance to the sector’s vitality in the regio. We are fortunate in the Hudson Valley to have many programs that support manufacturing workforce including High Schools, BOCES, Community Colleges, Four Year Colleges and Universities, not for profits, government agencies and more.

Many of these programs will be participating at the Council of Industry’s Workforce Developers Expo that will be held in conjunction with Champion’s Award Breakfast April 25th at West Hills Country Club in Middletown. The Expo will take place just prior to the breakfast from 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Holding the Workforce Expo in conjunction with the breakfast, which draws in excess of 250 guests, gives all the attendees the opportunity to see the many programs and services that are available to manufacturers, incumbent manufacturing employees, and future manufacturing employees.

Participation if free for our manufacturing workforce development partners though we do as you purchase 2 tickets to the Breakfast.



If your organization would like to join the dozens of others in the Expo contact Emma Olivet

Not a week goes by in which we don’t hear a Council member complain about the difficulty the face in hiring skilled CNC Machinists. It is one of the most in demand trades, not only locally but nationally as well. If you cant find machinist to hire – perhaps you have operators who have the aptitude and attitude that makes them worthy of your investment to upskill them? Companies that made that investment several years ago are seeing the benefits as MIAP apprentices start completing the program and are becoming credentialed CNC Machinist.

Machinists use machine tools, such as lathes, milling machines, and grinders, to produce precision metal parts. CNC machinists must be able to use both manual and CNC machinery. CNC machines control the cutting tool speed and do all necessary cuts to create a part. The machinist determines the cutting path, the speed of the cut, and the feed rate by programming instructions into the CNC machine.

Work Processes (Skills learned on the Job) Approximate Hours for CNC Machinist:

• Foundations of Machining: 2,000 hours
• Principles of CNC Machining: 250 hours
• General Operation CNC Mills/Lathes / Millturns / Grinders: 1,250 hours
• Supervised Setup Mills / Lathes / Millturns / Grinders: 1,500 hours
• CNC Setup and Operate CNC Mills / Lathes / Millturns / Grinders: 2,000 hours
• Writing Basic Programs: 1,000 hours

Total Hours: 8,000

Minimum of 144 Hours of Related Instruction (Classroom Learning) Required for Each Apprentice for Each Year:

• Safety
• Blueprint Reading and Drawing
• Mathematics
• Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
• Trade Theory and Science
• NC/CNC Programming
• Computer Software
• Communications

If you want to know more about this trade and if it might be right you’re your company contact Johnnieanne Hansen

Advertisement

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a nationwide celebration where ApprenticeshipUSA partners - employers, apprentices and graduates, industry representatives, labor organizations, community-based organizations, workforce partners, educational institutions, and federal, state, and local government agencies and more - host events to showcase the successes and value of Registered Apprenticeship for strengthening our economy by developing a highly skilled workforce to meet industry needs and creating pathways for career seekers to catapult into in-demand jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor coordinates NAW in order to promote Registered Apprenticeship, in accordance with the National Apprenticeship Act (50 Stat. 664; 29 U.S.C. 50).



Last year marked 10 years of NAW, with over 2,500 apprenticeship events and proclamations in all states and several territories. In response to stakeholder feedback, we moved NAW to the Spring, with a weeklong celebration to resume in 2026. To help with the shift, there will be a single National Apprenticeship DAY on April 30, 2025!

The week-long celebration will resume in 2026:

Subscribers to the Manufacturing Career Hub can view candidate resumes and contact information by searching the Candidate ID Number in the iCIMS platform.

Not yet a participant of the Career Hub? Contact Johnnieanne Hansen directly for additional candidate details or to learn more about the recruiting initiative.

Candidate ID: 34111

Position Interest: Procurement/Supply Chain

Level: Senior

Skills: Skilled in strategic purchasing and procurement, supply chain and logistics management, leadership in mid-size and Fortune 50 companies, cost reduction and profitability improvement, ISO and procurement quality program management, Hazmat certification, ethical business practices, and proficiency in SAP and common business software.

Education: PURSPECTIVE (Global Training Institute for Purchasing & Supply Mgt.), Basel, Switzerland – In-house training in Procurement Management (BBA equivalent)

                     Montclair State University, NJ – History

                     Institute of Logistical Management, NJ – Transportation Certificate (2-year program)

Availability: Open to Interviews            

Location/Commute:   Resides in Montgomery, NY and in Essex County, NJ

Results-driven purchasing and supply chain professional with over 20 years of progressive leadership experience in the specialty chemical industry. Proven success managing multi-million-dollar global spend categories across packaging, raw materials, and contract manufacturing. Skilled in strategic sourcing, vendor negotiation, and cost reduction initiatives that consistently drive profitability. Experienced in ISO quality programs, contract development, and working capital improvement. Hazmat certified and proficient in SAP and related business systems. Holds a BBA-equivalent in Procurement Management, along with additional certifications in logistics and transportation.

Candidate ID: 35663

Position Interest: Mechanical Engineer Summer 2025 Internship

Level: Entry Level

Skills: Certified as a HAAS Basic Mill Operator, Proficient in CAD software (AutoCAD, Fusion360, and OnShape), Experience in manufacturing (3D printing, laser cutting, manual and CNC machining), Experience in programming (MATLAB, Arduino, JavaScript), Certified as a Universal Robotic Arm Operator

Related Projects:  Built an AI-powered robot for use in the 2024 Odyssey of the Mind World Tournament, Designed and manufactured functional trophies outfitted with an internal gear mechanism for the Hudson Valley Council of Industry’s Champions of Manufacturing awards ceremony, Participated in NASA’s HUNCH program by machining parts to be used on the International Space Station

Education:  Bachelor of Science; Mechanical Engineering Major with American Sign Language Minor Expected 2028

Availability: Open to Interviews                      

Location/Commute: Resides in Circleville, NY.

This eager and motivated candidate has hands-on experience as a CNC and manual machinist, working on precision parts for live events and Broadway productions. They’ve developed strong communication and teamwork skills in a fast-paced fine dining setting. Certified as a HAAS Basic Mill and Universal Robotic Arm Operator, they are proficient in CAD software, 3D printing, and programming (MATLAB, Arduino, JavaScript). Notable achievements include designing trophies for a manufacturing awards ceremony, building an AI-powered robot for an international competition, and machining parts for NASA’s HUNCH program.

News for HR and Workforce Professionals

HR Leaders Navigate Workforce Challenges Amid Tariffs and Their Potential Impacts

As President Trump’s tariffs send shockwaves through the global economy, HR leaders find themselves at the epicenter. With markets reeling and economists predicting soaring prices and job cuts, people managers are scrambling to maintain organizational stability while navigating the uncharted — and the impact on talent is already evident. Even though the U.S. economy added far more jobs than expected in March, the tariffs could test the resilience of the labor market moving forward, according to economists.

HR departments aren’t merely watching from the sidelines but, rather, are right in the thick of it. “This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to uncertainty — it’s a deliberate reset in how HR will think about leadership,” said Camille Fetter, founder and CEO of Talentfoot Executive Search & Staffing. “Those that adapt the quickest will dominate.” Describing HR as “part ER doctor, part chess master” in challenged times, Patrice Williams-Lindo, CEO of the coaching service Career Nomad, said smart people management teams are mapping tariff-impact scenarios (mild, moderate, severe) and aligning workforce adjustments accordingly. The most critical questions: Which employees are essential for viability? And which roles could be repurposed rather than eliminated?



Read More At WorkLife

How To Make AI a Force For More Meaningful And Human-Centered Work 

AI has the power to transform leadership and work, but whether it enhances or erodes the human experience depends on how we use it. In More Human, Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter argue that AI, when harnessed wisely, can strengthen leadership by enhancing awareness, wisdom, and compassion. Drawing on insights from top executives, AI experts, and global research, they reveal how leaders can delegate tasks to AI while amplifying human connection and performance. With deep insight and practical strategies, this book offers a roadmap for making AI a force for more meaningful and human-centered work. Below, co-authors Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter share five key insights from their new book, More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead.

• AI won’t replace leaders—but AI-augmented leaders will replace those who don’t adapt.
• AI generates answers. Wisdom asks the right questions.
• Awareness is the antidote to AI’s blind spots.
• Compassion is leadership’s greatest differentiator in an AI-driven world.
• The future of leadership isn’t either/or. It’s both/and.

Read more/listen at Next Big Idea Club

AI Training Lags Despite Increased Use At Work, Survey Says

The percentage of Americans using artificial intelligence tools at work has increased from 8% in 2023 to 35% by the end of 2024, according to a March 27 report from Jobs for the Future. However, only 31% of workers said their employer provides AI training, the report found. Those who are currently enrolled in education or training were more likely to use AI, with 59% of enrolled learners reporting at least weekly use. In the survey of more than 2,750 Americans, 57% reported feeling “some” or “a great deal” of impact from AI on their jobs, particularly by reducing manual work and automating repetitive or routine tasks. At the same time, 56% said they still don’t feel prepared to use AI at work.

The potential impact of AI in the workplace is also beginning to influence workers’ career plans and skill development needs, the report found. About 77% said they believe AI will affect the job or career they expect to have in the next 3-5 years, and 53% said they feel the need to gain new skills due to AI in the next 5 years. Workers said they believe AI tools are developing faster than their company’s ability to train them, and they need clearer guidelines and better engagement around AI use and training at work, the report found.



Read more at HR Dive

Will Agentic AI Transform Workflows?

Agentic AI is dubbed by Nvidia as the "next frontier" of artificial intelligence. It uses sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems. Findings from IBM and Morning Consult recently revealed that 99% of 1,000 developers who are building AI applications for companies are exploring or developing AI agents. Anothai Wettayakorn, IBM Thailand's country general manager, said AI Agents are "software designed to automate tasks, acting assistants in understanding, planning, reasoning, and executive activities." "Powered by Large Language Models, they connect with various tools and systems to achieve specific goals," Anothai said.

 The IBM country manager underscored the transformative potential of Agentic AI in automating workflows, analysing data, and empowering human employees. However, he stated that the technology will not be ready to fully replace employees in 2025, especially in complex and sensitive roles. "Developing AI Agents capable of complex decision-making requires significant advancements in contextual reasoning," he said as quoted by The Nation. "Human decision-making is not solely based on logic; experience and empathy play critical roles."

Read more at Human Resources Director

Koch HR VP Focuses On Meeting Company Goals 

HR leaders should understand how their business works, the challenges it faces and what supports profitability, says Cara Chennault-Reid, vice president of HR at Koch. "In the past, we've led with our HR expertise, but now we have to be trusted and credible business leaders, first," says Koch, who adds HR executives should recognize company goals and motivate the workforce to meet them, while also having the courage to challenge assumptions.

“Business leaders value somebody who can connect and understand how the business works, its vision and priorities, along with the challenges it potentially faces. Knowledge and experience in how profitability affects the business—how it makes and loses money—along with the intellectual capacity to work alongside leaders, make the HR partner a critical part of the business team,” she said in an Interview with World 50 Group.



Read more at LinkedIn

ClickUp, a project management AI-based software provider, recently released findings from its survey of more than 1,000 desk workers about virtual meeting culture. Key findings include that 46% of employees have quit because of a company’s broken collaboration culture, particularly too many useless meetings. More than half say the decision to quit was connected to an organization’s virtual meeting software.Mandy Mekhail, director of people at ClickUp, says the survey results are unsurprising. “Virtual meetings are broken,” Mekhail says. “We’ve created this massive overhead where people spend more time talking about work than actually doing work.” 3 strategies to improve virtual meeting culture include:

• Incorporating focus time and time-blocking: This often looks like meeting-free days or afternoons, but it can just as easily be an agreement for team members to time-block deep focus on the same activity and hop on a call as needed within that established time.
• Building a strong “async muscle”: If it isn’t written down, it’s not likely to happen. Use tools to record outcomes from meetings. Encourage friendly nudges or more serious escalations depending on what happens (or doesn’t) if outcomes are missed.
• Focusing on meeting structure and purpose: Why does the meeting exist? Is there a pre-set agenda to make the most of time? Will attendees have access to contribute in advance and see the final product?

Read more at HR Executive

As the pandemic ravaged employee wellbeing, many organizations upped their commitments in this space—creating new programs and policies to help workers tend to their physical, mental and financial health. At financial services company Sun Life Financial, leadership recognized that one area—menopause inclusivity—could have significant influence over all of these dimensions of employee health, says Chief People and Culture Officer Helena Pagano. Among its efforts in recent years, Sun Life partnered with the Menopause Foundation of Canada in 2023 for an awareness-raising campaign, including the publication of an employer resource guide and research report, and earlier this year added menopause benefits for employees through provider Progyny.

Sun Life isn’t alone, as menopause inclusivity is gaining steam with some employers: Family-building and wellbeing company WIN recently told HR Executive it saw an increase of 185% in menopause benefits clients in 2024. However, Pagano says, the “tragic” reality is that generations of women already have stepped out of the workplace because of the impact of menopause, a loss that she says employers can confront by embedding menopause inclusivity in their cultures.



Read more at Human Resources Executive

HUD Releases Median Income Data For Hudson Valley Counties

On April 1, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its new income limits that determine who qualifies for affordable housing programs nationwide and in the Hudson Valley. The 2025 Area Median Income data are important for each of our counties. Here are some quick takeaways from the 2025 AMI data:

• For the first time ever, all nine counties have an AMI that is over $100,000. Greene, Putnam and Sullivan counties were the last to cross that threshold.
• The counties that saw the greatest influx of households from the New York City metro area during the Covid-19 pandemic also experienced the greatest proportional increase in AMI - specifically Columbia, Greene, Sullivan and Ulster.
• Rockland County is the only county where the AMI decreased. The 2025 AMI for Rockland is less than the income limit in 2024 and 2023.
• Two neighboring counties now have the lowest and highest AMI, which is historically unusual in the Hudson Valley. Putnam has the lowest AMI at $103,000, and Westchester has the highest at $170,000.

When planners and policy experts talk about "affordable" housing, they mean that households are in an affordable situation if they pay less than 30% of their income toward housing costs. For households earning exactly the AMI, the lowest affordable housing cost in the region would now be $2,575 per month. Pattern's research has shown that AMI has become a less reliable baseline for the calculation of affordable rents throughout each county, especially as more wealthy households moved into the region during the pandemic but renter wages remained stagnant. You can read more about this trend and other housing affordability challenges in the Hudson Valley by reading Pattern's latest Out of Reach report. That report will be updated when the latest wage and rental data are released around mid-summer.



Read more at HUD and Pattern for Progress

Skills-Based Hiring Focused On Credentials Can Address The Skills Gap.

If we hire people based on their ability to do the job, why are so many hiring managers still focused on an increasingly narrow pool -- those with college degrees? Is that the only path to job success? This is the question Kathleen Delaski has been studying for many years and what drove her to create the Education Design Lab in 2012, with the mission of reimagining education. The Lab has been successful as it is currently working with 800 higher education institutions on creating micro-credentials, which are short learning programs that develop specific competencies that lead to certifications.

“Employers who are early adopters of this practice are the companies that are most worried about where their talent pipeline will come from over the next decade or two.” While the assumption might be that the C-suite needs to shift its perspective, Delaksi says that’s really not the case. “I feel that the C-suite gets the argument that we need to widen the aperture and look at learners that have different backgrounds and a broader array of life skills. And they are willing to open that aperture to do that. It’s more at the hiring manager level that you see a reluctance. It’s not that they are against it, it’s just a change management process to reconfigure job descriptions. A lot of employers struggle to name the skills that are universal across industries.”



Read more at EHS Today

By 2030, over 20% of jobs worldwide are expected to have evolved significantly due to labour-market disruptions. These changes driven by the rapid rise of frontier technologies, the green transition, shifting demographics and geo-economic fragmentation, could create 170 million new jobs. But they could also displace 92 million others, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025. The Forum’s guidebook for public employment services, outlines a five-step framework to help policymakers harness technology to connect talent with the jobs of the future. Here are its 5 key recommendations.

• Gather dynamic data on jobs trends
• Create a common jobs terminology
• Ensure trustworthy jobs data
• Use AI to widen skills access
• Use LLMs to match workers to jobs



Read more at the World Economic Forum

The labor market continues along its path of uncertainty as employers stay paused on opening jobs and hiring. Employers appear frozen but people are still applying for jobs as applications stay 12% higher than February 2024. Tech jobs, however remain in demand and are harder to fill. In tech openings are up 11% from last year. But hires are still down 3% year over year.

Time to fill (TTF) for tech jobs increased to 51 days in February 2025, from 48 days the year prior. That’s 10 days longer than the overall labor market. Mind the gap: AI skills gaps could be driving this hiring challenge, with iCIMS survey data indicating that less than a quarter (21%) of U.S. job seekers feel adequately prepared to adapt to AI driven changes in the workplace. Last month, 18-to-24-year-olds comprised 58% of applicants for tech jobs and 78% were under the age of 35. Older workers might be staying in the workforce longer, but they’re steering clear of tech jobs, with applicants aged 55 and older making up just 5% tech job applicants.



• Read the Report
• Learn more about the Council of Industry’s Manufacturing Career Hub Driven By iCIMS
• Check out the MIAP Apprentice Program

From Apprenticeships to Microcredentials, Why Alternatives to College Are Gaining Popularity – The 74

Corporate Catfishing: The Hidden Cost Of Misleading Job Ads – Fast Company

Shopify CEO Says Staffers Need To Prove Jobs Can’t Be Done By AI Before Asking For More Headcount – CNBC

How HR Can Improve Its Image With Employees – Work Life

The Trump Tariffs, A Recession And The Economy. What Does HR Do Now? – HR Executive

Trump Administration Plans Sweeping Cuts to Shrink NIOSH by Two-Thirds – EHS Today

Fired Federal Workers Flood 'Brutally Competitive' Job Market – Newsweek



"Helicopter Managers" Hurt Morale, Productivity, Data Shows – HR Executive

Season 1 Episode 1:

Immigration Update: What Employers Need to Know

- Presented by Jackson Lewis PC

Associate Member Jackson Lewis PC delivers “Immigration Update: What Employers Need to Know” in this timely and informative presentation.



Otieno Ombok and Marissa Prianti of Jackson Lewis provide an overview of recent immigration executive orders and their impact on employers. Topics covered include:



• Executive orders signed by President Trump and their implications
• Enhanced visa screening and consular processing delays
• Changes to humanitarian parole and TPS (Temporary Protected Status)
• Increased ICE worksite enforcement and I-9 audits
• Employer best practices and compliance strategies
• What to do if ICE shows up at your workplace