METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department of War’s IBAS Program, was built to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training. Now, in a new partnership with hiring platform Laborup, METAL is connecting aspiring metal workers with the jobs forging America’s future. 

For anyone eager to build a high-energy, high-impact career with real earning potential, there’s no shortage of opportunity in metal manufacturing. It’s exciting work that rewards precision, grit and problem-solving — and America needs more people ready to step into it.

As President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy pushes to rebuild America’s industrial base, manufacturing demand is rising fast. At the same time, Baby Boomers are retiring at record rates, leaving critical workforce gaps across the metal industry. By 2033, nearly 4 million manufacturing jobs could be available nationwide.  

Manufacturers need to hire — fast. Yet workforce shortages and ineffective recruiting are slowing efforts to fill the jobs that the nation’s supply chain and armed forces directly depend on. 

Together, METAL and Laborup, creator of the artificial intelligence (AI) software empowering America’s most critical workforce needs, are closing the employment gap by training future metal workers and helping manufacturers connect with skilled talent faster. 

Step 1: Train the Next Generation of Metal Workers

Jonga, a tech entrepreneur and chemical engineer, said his first time in a foundry felt surreal. The blasts of heat, sparks and piles of newly formed metal reminded him of his time working on an oil rig. 

“You know the feeling you have when you’re standing in front of an ocean? You feel small. Being in a foundry almost feels the same,” Jonga said. “Once you’re in the industry, there’s no leaving. This thing happens to you when you experience and see that.” 

Jonga has also experienced the frustrations and pitfalls of working for manufacturers short on skilled trades people. Million dollar projects halt or fall behind, not because teams can’t hire engineers, but because they struggle to find qualified metalcasters, machinists, welders and fabricators. 

“Even now, as we work with companies doing critical work for our military, the government and in energy, they don’t have a shortage of work. It’s a shortage of people,” he explained. 

But how do you get skilled trades people in the foundry door? Welcome them in. 

Through K-12 workshops and university bootcamps, METAL introduces students and career seekers to modern metalcasting and forging careers. Participants can complete METAL’s free online training before attending immersive, in-person bootcamps led by professional metallurgists and manufacturing experts across the country. 

For nearly a week, bootcamp participants gain hands-on experience in sand casting design and pouring processes. The trainees pound sand into molds, learn CAD software, pour molten metal, and machine finished parts. Participants leave with their own metal creations, foundational metalcasting and forging skills, and a clearer picture of promising careers in aerospace, automotive and defense manufacturing.   

High school student Yash Babar said the bootcamp introduced him to careers in foundry operations, quality testing, and casting production that he didn’t know existed before.  

“It gave me a ton of exposure,” Babar said about the bootcamp. “It showed me that I don’t have to have a desk job when I grow up. I could be doing something with my hands, I could be creating something. It opened up a new perspective.”

As more than half of Millennials (63%) and Gen Z (65%) worry about AI eliminating jobs, apprenticeships and skills-based trades are becoming more attractive to younger workers. 

“The public is on high alert,” said Dr. Vasileios Maroulas, Director of AI Tennessee. “Technological innovation and workforce demands are now outpacing the size of our workforce and the average worker’s skill set.”

Jonga believes AI should help workers access opportunity — not replace them.  

“Frankly, there’s millions of job openings in manufacturing, so there’s a lot to be done,” Jonga said. “AI is how we can amplify people and get them in the best role for them.”

Now, thanks to Laborup, bootcamp participants won’t just leave METAL’s training with new skills and potential. They’ll also have direct access to a tool and resources designed to help them launch careers in manufacturing. 

Step 2: Turn Training Into Real Career Opportunities 

Billions of people use popular platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed to search for jobs every day. But Jonga said most networking platforms were built for office workers behind computers — not foundry workers operating 2,000°F furnaces or climbing 20-foot molds before a pour.  

Laborup is different. 

Through AI-powered technology, Laborup connects manufacturers with vetted, skilled workers five to ten times faster than traditional staffing agencies. Trades professionals can start by creating a free profile and speaking their job history and skills into the app. Laborup’s voice AI takes it from there, generating a resume and job profile recruiters can quickly evaluate. Once a profile is complete, the app begins matching workers with manufacturing opportunities aligned with their experience, skills and wage expectations.

“We wanted to build something a 65-year-old welder or metal worker can use just as easily as a 17-year-old machinist,” Jonga said. “With Laborup, someone can make a resume from a conversation. We want to make it that simple.” 

Since launching two years ago, Laborup has connected with more than 100,000 skilled workers while helping manufacturers cut hiring costs by more than 50%. According to company data, workers using the platform earn about 30% more in their next role on average. 

“I was a little skeptical at first, but wow was I wrong,” a senior CNC machinist from Oak Ridge, Tennessee said about Laborup. “The platform itself is easy to use, but also the people behind it are easy to reach and help you along the way. It’s awesome to see something built for us.”

A maintenance machinist from Knoxville, Tennessee added, “Finding high-paying manufacturing jobs is hard. Laborup is making it easy and putting us workers first.”

Laborup also offers in-app career coaching and interview preparation. Jonga said his team works with companies from small machine shops to Fortune 500s to better understand the technical and soft skills companies look for in manufacturing hires. Looking ahead, he hopes to use video and virtual reality to give workers a firsthand look inside modern foundries. 

“How can we bring the career resources that a person on Vanderbilt’s campus or University of Tennessee’s campus has to a worker in rural Pennsylvania?” Jonga asked. “AI really breaks down the barriers for this workforce to interact, but also for training and career prep.”

Step 3: Help Modern Manufacturers Hire Faster and Smarter 

Manufacturers are embracing Laborup, too, noticing the app’s top talent. 

When aerospace and defense manufacturer Oak Ridge Tool-Engineering (ORT-E) needed a better way to hire qualified machinists and engineers, President Steve Mullins decided to try Laborup. The app’s speed, convenience and rigorous applicant screening process helped ORT-E reduce staffing costs while identifying candidates more likely to stay long-term.  

“By the time Laborup sends me someone, I already know they’re a good fit,” Mullins said. “I’d be afraid to tell my competitors about Laborup. They’d get an edge on me.”  

With METAL, Jonga said Laborup is greasing America’s metal manufacturing pipeline — helping trained bootcamp participants move from the classroom into high-demand manufacturing careers. 

“At the end of the day, we want to create more skilled workers and revitalize metal working,” Jonga said. “But it will take everyone — training programs, the government, employers and platforms like ours — to make this work and achieve everything the U.S. wants to achieve.”

Ready to forge a new career? Start METAL’s free online training and visit our events page to attend the next METAL bootcamp or workshop near you. 

Create your Laborup profile today by downloading the app in the Apple Store or on Google Play.