The National Association of Manufacturers is committed to increasing equity and parity for underrepresented communities in the United States. As manufacturers in the United States, we recognize the integral role our industry has in lifting up people and communities, and the opportunity and obligation we have now to stand with and support all people who face injustice. The executives on the NAM’s Task Force on Closing the Opportunity Gap and the NAM Board of Directors, which adopted the task force’s recommendations, believe strongly that as an industry, we must go beyond pledging to act and outline specifically what we will be doing over the coming years. We want to say publicly, “Here is our goal, we will measure our progress, and we will hold ourselves accountable for the results we are committing to.” To that end, The Manufacturing Institute, the 501(c)3 workforce development and education partner of the NAM, will support the industry’s efforts and track our progress towards fulfilling our Pledge for Action.

On September 24, 2020, the Board of Directors of the National Association of Manufacturers unanimously approved the Pledge for Action on behalf of manufacturers. To bring this pledge to action on behalf of manufacturers in the United States, the NAM makes this commitment to close the opportunity gap:
By 2025, manufacturers commit to taking 50,000 tangible actions to increase equity and parity for underrepresented communities, creating 300,000 pathways to job opportunities for Black people and all people of color. In doing so, manufacturing will reflect the diversity of the overall U.S. workforce by 2030.

Additional Resources

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The Manufacturing Institute, the workforce development and education partner of the NAM, is committed to supporting manufacturers’ efforts to build diverse and inclusive workplaces and strengthen equal opportunity in the United States. The MI is building the tools, resources, best practices and community for manufacturers to learn from one another about how to close the opportunity gap. Find more resources here.