October 2020
Here’s a fun way you can support WMIA’s Scholarship Fund!
The WMIA Educational Foundation’s Annual Scholarship Fund has been adversely affected this year without the revenue from the 2020 IWF show in Atlanta. We are asking you to consider donating an interesting, unique, and/or popular item to be sold in this auction to help raise funds for the 2021 scholarships. We also encourage you to extend this offer to your customer base or network of contacts as well.
The WMIA Education Committee has awarded more than $480,000 in scholarships over the last 30 years to deserving students to help advance their career in the woodworking industry. This decades-long initiative continues to help reinforce the health of our industry. Now this cause needs your help!
Here is a link to our website with the success stories from some of our scholarship winners from the last 15 years or so.
WMIA realizes this is short notice, and we are asking our members to contribute an item during what has been a difficult year for many of us, so your support of this initiative is even more deeply appreciated! In order to promote this event properly, we must receive all donations no later than November 11, 2020.
- Suggested minimum retail value of $50 but smaller donations will be accepted, too
- No alcohol, controlled substances, e-cigarettes/vapes, CBD items, etc.
- No perishable food items
- No weapons (edged tools okay)
- Heavy items requiring truck/pallet shipments – please discuss freight arrangement with WMIA staff
Details with a complete listing, photos, and auction link will be sent out by mid-November.
Virginia Tech Housing Report – August 2020
Virginia Tech – U.S. Forest Service has published its housing market commentaries for August 2020. These commentaries contain in-depth data and comments on the U.S. housing market.
The housing report is a free service of Virginia Tech, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and the U.S. Forest Service. The reports are intended to help you gauge future business activity. All past housing reports are archived here.
To read past housing reports, click here.
“Solving America’s Twin Crises” – Manufacturing Skills Gap & Veteran Employment
“The United States faces a dual crisis with over a half-million unfilled manufacturing jobs and large numbers of retired military service members who are struggling without opportunity, employment or even homes. Fortunately, more business and civic leaders are recognizing that the two problems, when viewed together, reveal a collective solution: build a scalable infrastructure that trains, certifies and directs veterans into stable, high-paying, advanced manufacturing careers. This tackles the skills gap, stems the manufacturing sector’s brain drain, steers veterans toward a purposeful path, and strengthens the economic and social fabric of America.
Over the past several decades, the American manufacturing sector traded resiliency for cost-cutting and profitability, continuously shrinking and damaging the collective skills base of the American workforce. Now, there are 522,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs across the country, and by 2028 this skills gap is projected to reach 2.4 million.”
To read the full article, visit Forbes.com.
Where Are They Now? Requests
To date, WMIA has awarded over $480,000 in financial support to students looking to continue their education in the wood industry. But once these scholarship recipients graduate, what happens to them? Do they stay in the industry or do they pursue another path? WMIA has recently begun profiling past scholarship recipients. We’re looking for more past recipients, so if you received a scholarship or know someone who has, please contact Olivia Mueting at [email protected].
Learn more about some of our past recipients by visiting here.
