CHICAGO, IL — The Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP), a multifaceted North American workforce initiative supported by an alliance of industry associations, has welcomed the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) as ICP’s seventh Alliance Partner. NACD joins the American Supply Association, the Industrial Supply Association Education Foundation, the National Association of Electrical Distributors, NAHAD–the Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution, NIBA-The Belting Association, and the PTDA Foundation in taking coordinated action to secure a skilled industrial workforce for today and tomorrow.
Established in 1971, NACD is an international association of chemical distributors and their supply-chain partners. NACD member companies process, formulate, blend, re-package, warehouse, transport, and market chemical products for over 750,000 customers. Says NACD President Eric R. Byer: “NACD members represent more than 85 percent of the chemical distribution capacity in the United States and are responsible for more than 155,000 direct and indirect jobs. By becoming an ICP Alliance Partner, we hope to connect our members with the next generation of employees who will carry the industry into the future.”
With each new Alliance Partner, the ICP Steering Committee gets the benefit of two new voices — a staff liaison from the association and also a representative from a member company. ICP Steering Committee Chair Terry Knight welcomes NACD to ICP, stating: “I can’t wait to explore the NACD perspective. As with all our Alliance Partners, NACD will expose ICP to new approaches and enable us to appropriate best practices from the chemical distribution industry for industrial distribution.”
“When the PTDA Foundation first established the ICP initiative, we knew PTDA member companies were struggling to find the talent they need. And now it is more apparent than ever that this is an industry-wide issue,” notes Barbara Ross, PTDA Foundation Board of Trustees President. “It is encouraging that since June 2013, ICP Alliance Partner membership has more than doubled, from three to seven members. With such a broad spectrum of associations representing so many industry verticals firmly committed to the ICP mission, member companies can expect wider-reaching, coordinated action.”
ICP links students and job seekers to career paths in industrial distribution and manufacturing through partnerships with local educators and employers. ICP Alliance Partners like NACD provide the support for a host of outreach efforts and a wealth of resources for industrial distribution companies, job seekers, and educators and parents. As the public face of industrial distribution, members of ICP Alliance Partner associations attend local career fairs, make classroom presentations, and conduct tours of their facilities for students.
For more information, visit www.industrialcareerspathway.org.
