High School Student's Thrift Shop Fuels New Collar Network Scholarships for 3D Printing Skills

SANTA FE, N.M., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The New Collar Network is pleased to announce a partnership with Thrift4People to expand accessibility of skilled-based training for in-demand jobs to more high school and post-secondary students, workers displaced by Covid-19, career changers, and incumbent workers facing challenges with new technologies.

Blue collar jobs of yesteryear are now replaced by digital New Collar jobs utilizing cool technologies like 3D Printing, robotics, AI, CAD design, AR/VR, and more. Often these types of jobs do not require college degrees, but employers do demand verification of skills specific to their needs.

To give potential employees training in these skills, the New Collar Network, a national non-profit headquartered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has developed a series of micro-certifications that are skill-specific, short in duration, and more affordable than a college degree. The program can be accomplished online or in person at one of 15 locations from Ohio to Arizona and the organization is part of the Fab Lab Network based at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms in Cambridge, MA.

"We are thrilled to provide scholarships to the New Collar Digital Badge program because college is expensive and requires both time and money," said Wallis Blivin, Co-owner of Thrift4People with her Mom, Jamai. "It is important to make it easier to get shorter training that leads to long term jobs. I also think that Thrift4People helps with sustainability by limiting fast fashion."

In order to combat unemployment as a result of Covid-19, the New Collar Network in 2021 launched a 3D Printing bootcamp thanks to funding from the NM Dept. of Workforce Solutions Ready NM Program. "In training 40 people for the more than 2,500 jobs open now and into the next 3 years in the state that require 3D Printing expertise, it was obvious that advanced skills were needed in a competitive marketplace", explains New Collar Network founder Sarah Boisvert. "Thrift4People's scholarships allowed badge earners with the most potential to dive even deeper into the hardware and software utilized in 3D Printing across industries."

New Collar Digital Badges are offered online and in person at 15 locations in North America, including the Santa Fe Higher Education Center in collaboration with the Santa Fe Community College Dept. of Continuing Education and Contract Training. In addition to 3D Printing skills, the badges are offered in topics such as Fusion360 CAD design, laser safety, photonics & optics, laser machining, design thinking, From Idea to Prototype, and CNC Machining.

Thrift4People is located at 422 Old Santa Fe Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is open on Saturdays, Wallis being in school the rest of the week!

Media Contact

Sarah Boisvert, New Collar Network, 1 5055019161, [email protected]

SOURCE New Collar Network