Blog

For Immediate Release -- September 15, 2020 Catalyst Connection receives Richard King Mellon Foundation Grant to Assist Manufacturers Pittsburgh, PA - With recent funding awarded by The Richard King Mellon Foundation, Catalyst Connection is leading a regional economic rebound initiative to address manufacturing business challenges, while also connecting local graduate students with southwestern Pennsylvania's thriving business community. Since March, Catalyst Connection has worked tirelessly to lead, support, and advance manufacturers' pandemic…

According to a report from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), more than 25% of manufacturers had to turn down new business opportunities because of a lack of available workers to do the job. There is currently a fundamental skills gap in the U.S, resulting in a critical talent shortage affecting manufacturers. Many workers don’t feel they have the skills or abilities needed to operate in today’s technology-fueled manufacturing…

As workplaces continue adjusting to new ways of operating, concerns around employee engagement are at an all-time high for our region's small and mid-sized manufacturers.  Workplace engagement has always been a high priority. However, it is no longer as easy to maintain high employee engagement levels when working at home or maintaining social distancing. Your manufacturing workforce is your company's greatest asset. That means your manufacturing enterprise is at…

Manufacturing remains one of the largest industries for employment in southwestern Pennsylvania. Yet, there is a persisting lack of awareness within new generations about the availability and growth opportunities of manufacturing careers across a range of experiences and interests. Manufacturing today is high-tech, and technology-driven skills such as coding, programming, and more are needed to keep production running in this modern era.  As existing workforces are retiring in significant…

Article From Mirage News Carnegie Mellon University researchers and robots will soon occupy a state-of-the-art facility at the newly constructed Mill 19 building on the 178-acre site known as Hazelwood Green. The first building of the new Hazelwood Green development, Mill 19 once served as the location of the Pittsburgh region’s most productive steel mills, employing more than 5,000 workers during its heyday. Today, as Carnegie Mellon gathers with community…