Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program
GENEDGE is building a Department of Labor registered apprenticeship pathway for smart manufacturing skills, in partnership with Tidewater Community College and the Virginia Manufacturers Association. It's being designed now, with a target readiness date of December 2026.
Virginia manufacturers keep saying the same thing: there is a gap in skilled workforce, from welders to instrumentation technicians to electrical test technicians. The roles are open, and the people to fill them are hard to find.
The Virginia Smart Manufacturing Accelerator (VSMA), under the GENEDGE umbrella, is responding by building and activating an apprenticeship pathway, with Tidewater Community College and the Virginia Manufacturers Association (VMA) as partners.
Right now the work is in Phase 1: meeting with partners, building the program, and getting everything ready to submit for Department of Labor registration, with a target readiness date of December 2026. Phase 2 — rolling the pathway out through community colleges and enrolling manufacturers and apprentices — comes after that.
Who’s Building It
Three organizations, three distinct jobs:
- GENEDGE owns the pathway and will award the credentials, in partnership with the community colleges involved.
- Tidewater Community College brings the administrative and curriculum expertise to make sure the pathway meets Department of Labor apprenticeship requirements.
- VMA brings the manufacturer perspective, identifying the specific skill gaps manufacturers report and helping translate them into the occupational competencies and work schedule the curriculum is built around.
Before anything goes to the Department of Labor for approval, an employer advisory group made up of manufacturers reviews the curriculum and work process schedule and can push for changes.
"I was part of a group working on a talent pathway initiative in Southwest Virginia, and it was painful to see how there was a disconnect between what manufacturers needed and what the education system was providing… I think this smart manufacturing apprenticeship is helping to close that gap, because it's going to be tailored specifically to manufacturers' needs."
Built to Stack
The pathway is designed around stackable credentials: participants earn a certificate at each stage they complete, rather than waiting until the very end to have something to show for it. Someone starting with no experience builds up through the stack from the beginning. Someone who already has experience — a welder moving into cobotic welding, for example — can start at whatever level their existing skills support, instead of starting over.
Paid Work, Not Just a Classroom
This isn’t classroom-and-lab only. The pathway includes a paid work component — apprentices work for a host manufacturer on a progressive wage scale while they build skills, so they’re earning while they train.
Get Involved
Tell us what skill gaps you're facing — welding, instrumentation, electrical, quality control, or something else. If you attend a VSMA Roadshow, you'll get the chance to flag your interest in the apprenticeship pathway alongside the free Manufacturing Performance Diagnostics™ assessment; that feedback goes directly into shaping the curriculum before it's finalized.
Join the Interest List
If you work in Virginia manufacturing and want to build toward the next level — from foundational skills like welding and blueprint reading up to advanced areas like cobotic welding — sign up to be notified when the pathway opens for enrollment.