Education Foundation

The TMA Education Foundation is dedicated to improving, sustaining, and promoting manufacturing technology education and to encouraging the pursuit of careers in the industry.

The TMA Education Foundation will consider proposals for programs that address the following goals:

• Increase the pool of qualified candidates for precision metalworking and related careers
• Increase awareness of and improve the image of metalworking careers
• Sustain and expand metalworking technology education
• Encourage men and women to pursue careers in metalworking

The Foundation is particularly interested in supporting programs that address the following:

• Metalworking and related education programs
• Image building and career awareness in the area of precision metalworking
• Machinery/equipment purchases

Some of the programs the Foundation supports are:

• Provides schools up 30% to aid in machinery or equipment purchases of metalworking and related education programs
• Supports the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS)
• Supports SkillsUSA
• Supports High Schools Machining Competition

The Foundation does not provide grants for general, unspecified funding of other foundations or charitable organizations; to religious groups for sectarian purposes; political action committees or fraternal organizations; hospitals; research or other health related organizations; organizations without Internal Revenue Service tax exempt status.

Because the TMA Education Foundation is a local organization, funding will be generally restricted to the Chicago metropolitan area. Funding for completed projects or programs will not be considered.

The TMA Education Foundation generally meets quarterly (February, May, August, and November). Call TMA for meeting dates. Proposals must be received at least three weeks prior to a meeting to be considered, or will be held for the next meeting. If you have any questions, please call the TMA Education Department at (847) 825-1120.

TMA Education Foundation

Case Statement

In 1987 the Tooling & Manufacturing Association established a 501(c)3 Education Foundation. Its vision is to address the problems of poor education in many of the metropolitan Chicago schools, the negative or neutral image of manufacturing careers, and the lack of quality manufacturing technology training in the Chicago area. The Foundation seeks to:

• Expand the pool of qualified entry level tooling, machining, and manufacturing career candidates available to Chicago area companies;
• Improve the image of precision metalworking and manufacturing careers;
• Recruit talented men and women for challenging metalworking and manufac¬turing careers in the metropolitan Chicago area;
• Promote and direct the establishment of a tooling, machining, and manufacturing technology training center avail¬able to students and employees in the Chicago area;
• Reduce the barriers to training and encourage establishment of quality in-house training programs in Chicago area companies.

Recognizing the survival of tooling, machining and manufacturing in the Chicago area is dependent primarily on our highly skilled labor force, TMA's leadership met the challenge head-on. The Board of Directors created a fund-raising Education Foundation to announce in a loud voice the dawning of a new age in precision metalworking and the need for motivated, innovative, intelligent young people to train for tomorrow's careers -- and the need for improved training facilities and programs in the Chicago area.

To this end, the TMA Education Foundation will raise funds. Primary uses of the funds will be four-fold:

• To promote and direct the establishment of manufacturing technology training centers and to provide employers with in-house training program direction and assistance;
• To launch a dynamic electronic and printed media public awareness campaign to positively influence parents, educators, students, legislators, and public officials;
• To give financial assistance, through grants and scholarships, to students and vocational education teachers, and to provide industry advisors to education;
• To supply selected schools with state-of-the-art equipment and improved facilities and to donate education and career materials to guidance offices, libraries, and classrooms.

The TMA Education Foundation hopes to raise millions of dollars to ensure tomorrow's Chicago area tool & die makers, mold makers, precision machinists, machine tool programmers, tool and machine designers, machine set-up and operators, and manufacturing administrative personnel are the best in the world.

(As of 1/14/97 more than $1.3 million in pledges and contributions have been received
Education Foundation Goals

• Expand the pool of qualified candidates for precision metalworking & other manufacturing related careers
• Improve the image of manufacturing careers
• Encourage men and women to pursue careers in manufacturing
• Promote and improve manufacturing technology education