Tag Archives: University of Alabama Birmingham

The End of “Post and Pray” Hiring: The Talent Pipeline Being Forged by METAL and LaborUp

The United States manufacturing sector isn’t just facing a worker shortage; it is dealing with a systemic failure in talent acquisition.  

As an industry, we pour millions of dollars into world-class technical training, yet when it comes time for those skilled individuals to enter the workforce, we rely on the passive, outdated “post and pray” approach of general job boards. The industry passively hopes that emerging professionals will somehow stumble into the right roles. 

METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department of War’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, was built to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training in casting and forging.   

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. 

Earlier this year, METAL partnered with hiring platform Laborup. Through AI-powered technology, Laborup connects manufacturers with vetted, skilled workers five to ten times faster than traditional staffing agencies.

Students wearing protective gear pour molten metal into a mold.

Laborup Founder Simba Jonga attended the METAL Bootcamp at Ohio State.

  

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. 

Since partnering with METAL, Laborup Founder and CEO Simba Jonga and Market Development Manager Cambrie Cook have had the chance to experience METAL bootcamps first-hand.  

“We’ve been at Ohio State and UAB [University of Alabama at Birmingham] engaging with the students, showing them the platform, showing them that these careers do exist and setting them up with interviews,” says Jonga. 

Capturing Talent on the Training Floor 

LaborUp is not just another digital job board filled with noise and unqualified spam. It is a specialized, targeted career network built exclusively for the trades and industrial sectors. The platform cuts through the clutter, serving everyone from curious high schoolers discovering metalworking to highly skilled veterans approaching retirement. 

A METAL ball cap, medallion, and anvil.

METAL Bootcamp attendees create brass medallions.

The integration of Laborup into METAL bootcamps is a game-changer for the training-to-career pipeline. At the tail end of the program, students are guided through the platform, assisted in building their digital professional profiles, and educated on the diverse manufacturing career opportunities waiting for them outside the classroom.  

By engaging with METAL graduates early through LaborUp, companies have the unique opportunity to present their value propositions beyond the paycheck. Employers can highlight their company culture, career advancement pathways, and organizational mission.  

Getting in front of these students early builds brand loyalty and a deeper connection to the company’s vision, creating employees who are invested in long-term growth rather than short-term financial leaps. Thanks to the METAL Credly certification, employers know they’re getting trained and ready candidates.  

A Strategy for Every Demographic 

At the recent late-May bootcamp attended by Jonga at The Ohio State University, the participants were largely degree-track college students focused on metallurgical engineering. By capturing these individuals right as their hands-on training concluded, this partnership handed employers a direct, exclusive line to highly educated, immediate-impact talent ready to deploy. 

Conversely, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) bootcamp attended by Cook, a much younger crowd of 15- and 16-year-olds were exploring the trades. Engaging with high schoolers might not solve a manufacturer’s immediate hiring quota for next Tuesday, but it accomplishes something far more critical: it secures the industry’s future pipeline.  

By capturing their interest now, we are showing these students that the trades offer lucrative, high-tech, and engaging career paths before they are pressured into alternative educational routes. 

A group of students pose wearing camo Laborup ball caps.

Laborup’s Cambrie Cook attended the METAL Bootcamp at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Fixing a Broken Recruiting Model 

For regional and national manufacturers, the traditional hiring model is broken. When employers use general job boards, they are forced to sift through hundreds of irrelevant applications. Laborup fixes this by enabling our METAL graduates to self-report their verified bootcamp credentials directly on their profiles. Employers no longer have to guess whether a candidate has hands-on metallurgical experience; the proof is built in, giving hiring managers instant access to a screened network of verified talent. 

More importantly, this early access is the most effective weapon regional manufacturers have against massive aerospace, defense, and automotive giants. In high-density industrial corridors, independent manufacturers are competing for the exact same specialized talent pool as globally recognized corporations. If independent manufacturers wait for highly trained graduates to hit the open market, the competition devolves into a bidding war they are likely to lose. A graduate choosing a job based purely on a one-dollar-per-hour premium is a massive flight risk. 

The Future of Manufacturing Acquisition 

The momentum generated by these initial pilot bootcamps featuring Laborup is just the beginning.  

“We were able to talk about careers and expose them [campers] to what these jobs look like,” said Jonga. “They sign up for the platform and give us feedback on what they’re looking for.” 

The METAL team and Laborup are currently analyzing early data to track sign-ups, interview rates, and job placements, and are continually refining the bootcamp-to-work experience. 

The future of manufacturing relies on capturing highly skilled talent and aggressively guiding it into the workforce. Through this targeted, collaborative approach, METAL and Laborup are proving that when you actively connect the training floor to the industry floor, everybody wins. 

 

Forging the Future: How Hands-On Experience is Shaping the Next Generation of Engineers

The manufacturing sector in the United States is at a critical inflection point, requiring brilliant young minds who are ready to tackle modern challenges with innovative, sustainable solutions.  

At just 21 years old, Mhakayla Johnson is already working to make the world a better place. Going into her senior year as a mechanical engineering student at Alabama A&M University, she is conducting research on composite materials that are more sustainable and easier to recycle. While interning this summer at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Johnson was encouraged by her mentor, Dr. Haibin Ning, to attend a METAL bootcamp.  

Johnson poses with the skillet she made at the UAB Bootcamp

METAL, led by IACMI – The Composites Institute®, and funded by the Department of War’s Office of Industrial Base Policy, was built to revitalize American manufacturing through hands-on training in casting and forging. 

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 five days, UAB 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-finish 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.    

At bootcamp, Johnson gained critical, hands-on experience necessary to transition from classroom theory to real-world application.  

“I’m just a hands-on kind of person, you know. I like to work with my hands, I like to build and create stuff and improve things,” she says. Her journey highlights the vital importance of experiential learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

Engineering a Sustainable Tomorrow 

Johnson’s current research, conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Ning through the REU research program, is deeply focused on manufacturing sustainability. She is actively exploring the creation of composites using cellulose and hemp fibers.  

“Dr. Ning told me I should step into the metal bootcamp so I can get my hands dirty and add more knowledge to what I already have,” she said of expanding her materials understanding.  

Currently, industries ranging from automotive to aerospace rely heavily on materials like carbon fiber. While highly effective, these materials are notoriously difficult to recycle. By researching viable, sustainable alternatives, Johnson is addressing a critical environmental challenge head-on. 

“Recyclability and just making our planet a better place [is important],” Johnson explains. “With carbon fibers… it’s very hard to recycle. And that’s why I’m glad I’m doing the research with Dr. Ning so that we can do research on composites and find different materials, better materials than the ones that are already being used.” 

A group of student takes in the view of a retired historic foundry.

Johnson toured the historic Sloss Furnace site with her UAB Bootcamp classmates.

Nurturing a Lifelong Passion for STEM 

Johnson’s journey into science was no accident. Her mother, an Alabama A&M physical science professor, nurtured her passion for building and creating from an early age through robotics and STEM camps. “She didn’t just push me into it; she realized what my interests were as a kid and put me on that path,” Johnson stated.  

“I was a really hands-on creative type of kid,” she recalls. “I loved to draw, and I was very artistic… I want to be an engineer, I want to build stuff, I want to make stuff.”  

In high school, Johnson began welding and looking into different types of engineering, landing ultimately on mechanical. 

Despite identifying as a hands-on creator rather than a natural mathematician, her determination allowed her to excel.  

“This might sound crazy,” she said, “but I was never the best at math…I understood it, but it took me more to get there. I had to study a little bit harder and just apply myself a little bit more.”  

Her story is a powerful testament to the fact that success in engineering requires immense creativity and perseverance just as much as raw calculation. 

Strengthening Foundations 

A student polishing a cast piece of metal on a grinder while others wait their turn.

Bootcamp participants take turns processing recently cast pieces.

While Johnson’s research focuses on sustainable composites and natural fibers, a foundational understanding of metallurgy is vital for innovations in material science. By participating in the METAL bootcamp, students like Johnson gain a comprehensive view of how traditional metalcasting interacts with modern materials.  

One example of this at UAB involved a project to produce composite screws that could be used on offshore oil rigs while maintaining strength similar to steel. Understanding the science behind both metal and non-metal materials proved vital in this pursuit.  

Johnson noted the lab at UAB was a great place to “actually see the real-world applications of what I’m learning.” 

METAL Bootcamps also dive into sustainability, teaching students about cleaner melting techniques and demonstrating them, as demonstrated by the use of the induction furnaces at the UAB lab.  

Inspiring the Next Generation 

As she looks toward her senior year and contemplates furthering her education, Johnson offers advice to aspiring young engineers. 

“Keep going and pushing towards your dreams,” she advises. “There’s nothing that you want to do that you can’t do… Take heed to your resources and believe in yourself. Stick to the course, your dreams can come true if you put in the work to achieve them.” 

 

New METAL Hub Launches at the University of Alabama, Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama, May 21, 2025 – The Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) program is proud to announce a new partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals. Led by IACMI – The Composites Institute® with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, METAL strengthens and diversifies the U.S. metal manufacturing workforce, focusing on casting, forging and plate rolling.

“METAL’s partnership with UAB will increase workforce skills in skilled trades from the technician through engineering levels, providing a pipeline of personnel excited about the casting and forging industries,” said Lucinda Curry, METAL National Workforce Manager at IACMI.   “By working together, we will increase capacity in the United States to meet both the needs of the commercial and national defense supply chains.”

The METAL program at UAB will offer both foundational and specialized training in metalworking and manufacturing, focusing on automation, casting, forging, and rolling techniques critical to the industry’s future. The UAB METAL hub will also teach principles in the metallurgical fields, such as heat treatment of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. Participants will be doing a series of hands-on activities, including CAD design and 3D printing of patterns, casting, material testing, and machining.

Through a combination of online and hands-on training, including comprehensive in-person boot camps, UAB will provide hands-on experience and essential technical skills in metal melting, heat treatment and machining for individuals seeking to enter or advance in the manufacturing sector.

“We are excited to play a key role in shaping the future of manufacturing education and workforce development,” said Dr. Haibin Ning, UAB associate professor of materials engineering. “This partnership is an important step in addressing the challenges of modern manufacturing while providing students with the skills and credentials they need to succeed in the industry.”

UAB joins a growing network of METAL hubs, including Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, and University of Tennessee Knoxville, as part of a nationwide effort to expand access to high-quality, industry-relevant training. These university hubs expand the METAL network by fostering collaborations with local high schools, community colleges, and other educational institutions to create a pipeline of skilled workers for the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Through METAL’s multi-tiered curriculum, UAB aims to support workforce development by providing participants with academic credits, industry certifications, apprenticeships and degree tracks.

For more information about METAL, please contact:

Brittany Crocker
brittany@piper-communications.com
O: 865-329-0553 ext: 216

About METAL

Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL), led by IACMI, is an industry-driven initiative aimed at providing high-quality, hands-on training in the metalworking and manufacturing sectors. The program is designed to address workforce development needs by offering comprehensive curricula in casting, forging and metallurgy, with an emphasis on automation and modern manufacturing technologies.

About IACMI

IACMI-The Composites Institute® is a 170-plus member community of industry, colleges and universities, national laboratories, and government agencies working together to benefit the nation’s energy, manufacturing, and economic security. IACMI is managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. A Manufacturing USA institute, IACMI is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials Manufacturing Technologies Office, as well as key state and industry partners. It collaborates with the Department of Defense to scale up industry-driven job skills and revitalize American manufacturing.