Workforce Development

American Water Foundation Grants $260,000 to National Urban League

Camden, N.J. – October 05, 2026 -- The American Water Charitable Foundation has awarded a $260,000 Corporate Strategic grant to the National Urban League to fund workforce development programs across its Affiliate Movement network.

Grant targets eight city affiliates for skills and career training

The funding will support workforce development initiatives delivered by eight National Urban League affiliates: Chicago Urban League, Greater Sacramento Urban League, Urban League of Greater Chattanooga, Urban League of Greater Philadelphia, Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County, Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis, Urban League of Northwest Indiana, and Urban League of Union County. The programs aim to expand skills, education, and job opportunities in communities served by American Water (NYSE: AWK), the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in the U.S.

Mnzil, TDG, Capital Partners Launch SAR 1bn Saudi Housing Fund

Riyadh – October 05, 2026 -- Mnzil, The Development Group (TDG) and Capital Partners have launched a real estate fund to invest SAR 1 billion in developing purpose-built workforce housing across Saudi Arabia, targeting up to 50,000 worker beds.

Partners split roles across operations, development and fund management

Mnzil will act as strategic partner and exclusive operator of the portfolio, TDG will lead site selection, design and property development, while Capital Partners will serve as fund manager under its Capital Market Authority license (25315-32).

Women in HVACR Honors Industry Leaders at Indianapolis Conference

Indianapolis – October 05, 2026 -- Women in HVACR (WHVACR), a nonprofit representing 1,200 members in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration trades, concluded its three-day annual conference Sept. 27-29 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, recognizing seven industry leaders with Pillar and Leadership Awards.

Three Pillar Awards go to mentorship, education and networking leaders

Lori Tschohl, owner of Eagle Pipe Heating & Air and a past WHVACR president with more than 35 years of business leadership experience, received the Mentor Pillar Award. Crystal Naegle, HVAC assistant coordinator for UA Local 525 and a decade-plus instructor at the College of Southern Nevada who has overseen 13 academic programs, won the Education Pillar Award. Becky Hoelscher, senior account manager at Arkema with nearly 20 years in procurement, sales and marketing, received the Network Pillar Award.

FIU Launches Cruise Excellence Center With Industry CEO Board

Miami – October 02, 2026 -- Florida International University has launched the FIU Cruise Excellence Center, a new academic hub led by its Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management to tackle research, talent and innovation gaps across the global cruise sector.

Cruise executives form founding advisory board to steer university research priorities

The Center's launch coincides with the inaugural meeting of its Cruise Executive Advisory Board, a founding group composed of presidents, CEOs, a CFO and other senior executives drawn from cruise lines, travel distribution, destinations and maritime services. The board will help FIU set research priorities, strengthen curricula, expand internships and experiential learning, and build executive education and micro-credential programs tied directly to industry needs.

GWP Partners With Goodwill SoCal on Electrical Trade Training

Los Angeles – – October 02, 2026 -- Green Water and Power (GWP), a national clean-energy infrastructure provider, has launched a workforce training partnership with Goodwill Southern California (Goodwill SoCal) to place candidates with little or no prior work experience into on-the-job electrical trade training.

Program targets WIOA-eligible candidates for hands-on electrical training

The initiative operates under the federal Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) and is aimed at reducing barriers to employment for job seekers entering the skilled trades. Qualified participants will receive hands-on instruction in electrical work, with a pathway to long-term employment at GWP or elsewhere in the industry.

GAF Expands SkillBridge Program for Veteran Manufacturing Jobs

Parsippany, N.J. – October 02, 2026 -- GAF, North America's largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, has expanded its partnership with the DoW SkillBridge program to offer a no-cost, six-month manufacturing training track for transitioning service members.

Manufacturers face a 3.8 million worker gap by 2033

The expansion responds to a labor shortage that Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute project could leave nearly half of 3.8 million U.S. manufacturing positions unfilled by 2033, with industrial maintenance technicians among the highest-demand roles.

FASTSIGNS Launches Career Quiz to Fill Franchise Jobs Nationwide

Carrollton, Texas – October 01, 2026 -- FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is rolling out a national recruitment campaign timed to Sign Manufacturing Day 2026, deploying an interactive career personality quiz to funnel job seekers into open roles across its network of independently owned centers.

FASTSIGNS ties recruitment push to Sign Manufacturing Day, observed the first Friday of October

The initiative targets job seekers, college graduates and trade professionals for positions spanning brand consulting, graphic design, strategic sales, production and installation. The company is directing candidates to its career portal, FASTSIGNS.com/careers, where the quiz matches applicants to specific career tracks based on their skills and interests.

Kyndryl Opens First U.S. AI Lab in Dallas, Plans 300 Jobs

New York – October 01, 2026 -- Kyndryl (NYSE: KD) has opened its first U.S. AI Innovation Lab in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, an investment expected to create up to 300 jobs in AI, technology consulting and design engineering over the next four years.

Kyndryl ties the Dallas lab to a four-phase model for enterprise AI deployment

The facility runs on the company's Agentic AI Framework combined with Kyndryl Consult, AI and infrastructure services, and the Kyndryl Vital design practice. Customers move through customer immersion, co-design, build and roadmap stages, using workshops and rapid prototyping to turn AI use cases into working prototypes within days and a defined path to production deployment.

GE Aerospace Gives $1M to Reopen Smithsonian Classrooms

Washington, D.C. – September 30, 2026 -- GE Aerospace has donated $1 million to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to reopen two dedicated classrooms for aerospace education, timed to coincide with the museum's 50th anniversary.

New classrooms expect to serve hundreds of students annually

The GE Aerospace Classrooms will function as hands-on learning spaces where K-12 students experiment with aerospace concepts using the museum's collection. The funding also covers staffing for a museum educator who will run reservable, object-based field trips called "Museum Labs" at the Washington location.

Milwaukee Tool Joins Skilled Trades Alliance, Eyes $200M Workforce Spend

Brookfield, Wis. – September 30, 2026 -- Milwaukee Tool has joined the Alliance for America's Skilled Trades and projects its cumulative U.S. workforce development investment will exceed $200 million by 2030, based on spending since 2010 and plans through the decade's end.

Milwaukee Tool backs more than 16,000 apprentices annually across the country

The company currently supports over 16,000 apprentices enrolled in skilled trades programs, working with more than 1,300 training centers and 25 national union and non-union partners nationwide.