Heroes MAKE America: 2025 In Review

2025 was another successful year of building connections between manufacturing employers and the military community across the nation. The Manufacturing Institute’s Heroes MAKE America (HMA) initiative, which bridges the gap between manufacturers and skilled, job-ready transitioning service members and veterans, continued to evolve and expand to new heights. Read on to learn more about this year’s growth and standout achievements.

Continued success: HMA’s efforts to ensure manufacturers maintain reliable access to a military talent pipeline resulted in another year of growth.

6% increase in cohort enrollments.
92% graduate placement rate.
Graduates earned average salaries of $77,524.

Since 2018, graduates have been placed with 500 companies across 49 states.

New pathways: HMA launched an accelerated Federal Aviation Administration Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Certification training program, adding FAA-certified aviation mechanics to the HMA talent pipeline.

The inaugural class was launched in April near McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, in partnership with WSU Tech and Textron Aviation.
A second class launched in April near Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, in collaboration with Savannah Technical College (STC) and Gulfstream Aerospace.
GE Aerospace Foundation supported the creation of the third A&P program near Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC). This program will launch in 2026.

Additionally, HMA expanded training pathways at Fort Stewart in Georgia, launching a new Automation and Robotics course in partnership with STC.

Highlighting qualifications: The MI continues to lead the development and expansion of Manufacturing Readiness Badges which bridge the gap between military service and civilian manufacturing careers. These digital credentials translate military skills into a language that resonates with employers, making qualified talent easier to identify and streamlining veteran employment in manufacturing.

In addition to the 9,183 badges already in use, in 2025, HMA introduced two new Manufacturing Readiness Badges in Leadership and Logistics.

Leadership Badges validate strengths in decision-making, communication, team coordination, and accountability.
Logistics Badges acknowledge proficiency in inventory and warehouse management, supply chain operations, transportation, quality control, and data analysis.

Real-time talent pipeline: The HMA Talent Network, powered by SmartResume, is a platform which enables employers to post jobs, search for qualified military candidates, create talent alerts, and proactively engage with job seekers in real time. Companies now have access to vetted candidates whose military skills are validated through Manufacturing Readiness Badges.

This shift modernizes the hiring process, shortens time-to-hire, and enables employers to build and manage a reliable military talent pipeline aligned with their ongoing workforce demands.

Connecting Employers with Key Talent: HMA hosted seven Military to Manufacturing Career Fairs, creating additional recruitment pathways for employers. By engaging talent both virtually and in-person on military installations, employers gained access to qualified, job-ready candidates across multiple regions, reducing recruiting costs and accelerating hiring timelines.

In the spotlight: HMA hosted an on-site Employer Spotlight at Fort Bragg, featuring Johnson & Johnson, the official healthcare supporter of HMA. The event highlighted career opportunities across J&J’s advanced manufacturing operations and provided attendees with guidance on J&J’s application and hiring process.

Johnson & Johnson’s Chief Technical Operations and Risk Officer and NAM Board Chair and MI Board Member Kathy Wengel delivered remarks to an audience that included HMA alumni, future class participants, active-duty service members, veterans, and military spouses.
She was joined by MI President and Executive Director Carolyn Lee and NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons, J&J Wilson Plant Manager and U.S. Army veteran Pete Goodridge, and North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs General Counsel Jimmie Bellamy.

This work matters: Nearly 200,000 service members transition out of the military each year, representing a highly skilled, job-ready talent pool. Veterans bring hands-on experience with advanced technology, safety-critical operations, maintenance, logistics, and team leadership, skills that directly align with modern manufacturing environments.