CCAC Hosts Another Successful Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Council Annual Meeting

Published October 31, 2025

CCAC hosted the sixth annual Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Council meeting on Oct. 29 in the Center for Education, Innovation & Training on Allegheny Campus. More than 90 business, education and government leaders along with 80 students attended the event. This year's theme, "New Collar Jobs: Expanding the Manufacturing Workforce Beyond Traditional Pathways," focused on the evolving, high-tech career opportunities redefining the future of manufacturing and workforce development across our region.

Faculty and student-led sessions showcasing innovative manufacturing career pathways were planned, along with a student alumni and industry "TED Talk" style presentation spotlighting success stories and workforce insights. A highlight of this year's event is a panel discussion hosted by the Moonshot Museum through an exciting new partnership.

A collaboration between CCAC and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development in 2019, resulted in the launching of this annual gathering. The aim of the convening is connecting leaders from the K-12 education and business/industry sectors to develop mutually beneficial ways to address the region's workforce ecosystem and its accompanying labor market challenges, specifically in advanced manufacturing. Since then, the advisory council has continued to meet each year to foster the formation of partnerships, ensure that CCAC's academic programs are aligned with industry needs, and explore best practices in establishing new career pathways and mentoring and apprenticeship programs.