AMSKILLS CEO RECOGNIZED AS THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF THE FLATE DISTINGUISHED MANUFACTURING ORGANIZATIONAL PARTNER SERVICE AWARD

Congratulations to the 2021 FLATE Awardees. This is the fourteenth year FLATE has recognized educators at the secondary and postsecondary level and an industry partner for their outstanding contributions to promote manufacturing/technical education and training across Florida. The Awards also represents FLATE’s effort to showcase and recognize the contributions of educators and industries in advancing technician education and training on a regional and statewide level. 

This year’s FLATE awardees and award categories include:

·       2021 FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Secondary Educator-of-the-Year Award

·       2021 FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Post-Secondary Educator-of-the-Year Award

·       2021 FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Partner Service Award

·       2021 FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Organizational Partner Service Award

 

This year FLATE added the “Distinguished Manufacturing Organizational Partner Service” Award as a new category to its annual recognition program. President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AmSkills, Inc., Thomas A. Mudano will be the first recipient of the FLATE Distinguished Manufacturing Organizational Partner Service Award. Nominees for the Awards were selected from a pool of nominations submitted from across the state. Nominees were judged by an Awards Committee made up of industry representative(s), FAITE board member(s), past awardee(s), and member(s) of the FloridaMakes Workforce Leadership Committee.

 

SPOTLIGHT ON THOMAS A. MUDANO

Born and raised in Florida, Mudano holds an Associate’s degree from St. Petersburg College (formerly known as St. Petersburg Junior College) and a bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina University. Mudano has been at the helm of leading several multi-million-dollar projects that were targeted to develop workforce training and apprentice programs for the manufacturing industry. He points to prevailing negative public perceptions of manufacturing and a lack of effective recruiting strategy as some of the gridlocks the manufacturing industry faces in addressing shortage in finding skilled workers. He says industry and education cannot operate in silos. In that they should work cohesively to incorporate hands-on learning in everyday curriculum and identify creative strategies to attract fresh talent and/or individuals who may not have considered manufacturing as a career.

 

As a leading voice for manufacturing, in 2014 Mudano used his skills/experience in business, nonprofits and government to lead the effort in establishing AmSkills which is an Economic Development Initiative for the Tampa Bay Region with a mission to transform lives & build communities through workforce training and apprenticeships. He also created the AmSkills Mobile Workshop and Career Discovery Bootcamp, which is a fast-track, pipeline building program designed to recruit, and train vetted candidates into entry level positions for Industry. He converted AmSkills Apprenticeships to a competency-based model and helped save the only Manufacturing Academy in Pinellas County at Northeast High School. 

In addition to AmSkills, Mudano established the first Florida Department of Education (FL DOE) Registered Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Program in the State. He served as the Director of a $2.3 million nonprofit organization, was an owner’s representative managing $55 million construction/technology projects and owned a marketing company working with several manufacturers and the south Florida chapter of the German American Chamber of Commerce. On a local/regional level, Mudano is a member of the Bay Area Manufacturing Association, Nature Coast Manufacturing Association and the Florida Suncoast Manufacturing Association. In 2018, he served as a Workgroup Member for Career Source Florida and as part of this effort, he was tasked to research and present a report on how to improve apprenticeships across Florida. In 2020, Mudano launched the first Manufacturing Academy at Anclote High School in Pasco and has secured more than $7 million in grants for AmSkills. 

Looking to the future, Mudano’s next project includes launching the AmSkills Workforce Training Innovation Center in Holiday, FL. The 14,000 square feet facility will be the first neighborhood training center targeted to help low to mid income families explore careers through innovative ways including the virtual reality VR Bar, outdoor Makerspace areas, advanced manufacturing training workshops and a startup entrepreneurs co-working space.

For more information about the FLATE Awards Program visit http://fl-ate.org/programs/flate-awards, or contact Dr. Marilyn Barger, Executive Director at barger@flate.org.