What Explore the New Manufacturing does

Explore: the New Manufacturing is a nonprofit workforce development program operated by WVMAEF (West Virginia Manufacturers Association Education Foundation), a 501(c)(3) education foundation affiliated with the West Virginia Manufacturers Association. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Buckhannon, West Virginia, the program is free to participants and is designed to increase the number of West Virginia students completing career paths that support the state's manufacturing industry. It serves two primary constituencies: middle and high school students across West Virginia, and the state's manufacturing employers seeking future workforce pipelines, with secondary engagement of educators and community members.

The program's core product is a portfolio of student-facing educational modules — including Explore Academies, Explore Workshops, Manufacturing Days Virtual Labs, the Manufacturing Innovation Challenge, the Student Video Contest, the Graphic Design Contest, and the SCRAP program — delivered through direct partnerships with West Virginia schools and supported by 61 manufacturing partner companies. There is no proprietary technology platform; the offering is built around in-person programming, hands-on learning experiences, competitions, and virtual lab content. Program reach in the most recent disclosed year (2021-2022) was approximately 4,000 students, up from roughly 1,500 in an earlier period, with an 85.4% manufacturer-partner retention rate over 2019-2021.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating. The program charges no fees to students or schools; operations are sustained by major financial underwriting from a small roster of corporate and foundation sponsors — most prominently EQT, Toyota, the Benedum Foundation (via CWBF), the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDOE), WVMA, First Energy, BHE (Berkshire Hathaway Energy), Bowles Rice, Chemours, and WV Community & Technical College — alongside in-kind engagement from 61 manufacturing partners. With a six-person staff, the program operates at the scale of a small regional nonprofit initiative rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

Explore the New Manufacturing

Legal name

WVMAEF (West Virginia Manufacturers Association Education Foundation)

Website

https://exploremfgwv.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Explore: the New Manufacturing is a West Virginia nonprofit workforce development program, operated by WVMAEF, that connects middle and high school students with manufacturing career pathways through hands-on academies, virtual labs, competitions, and corporate partner engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development & Manufacturing Education

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Manufacturing (EDABALAP)

akta.pro secondary industry

Production Operations & Shop Floor Systems (MPS, MES basics) (EDAOAGAH)

Keywords

• Workforce development programs
• Manufacturing career education
• Student industry engagement
• Manufacturer school partnerships
• STEM career exploration

Headquarters

HQ city

Buckhannon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Explore: the New Manufacturing is a workforce development program that connects West Virginia middle and high school students with manufacturing career pathways through hands-on Academies & Workshops, virtual labs, and student competitions such as the Manufacturing Innovation Challenge, Graphic Design Contest, Student Video Contest, and SCRAP. The program is delivered free of charge to students and educators and is sustained through partnerships with 61+ West Virginia manufacturers and major corporate sponsors.

Product overview

Explore: the New Manufacturing is a unified workforce development program operated by the West Virginia Manufacturing Education Foundation. The program provides a portfolio of interconnected educational offerings for middle and high school students across West Virginia, including Academies & Workshops for hands-on learning, Manufacturing Days Virtual Labs for remote exploration, and competitive programs such as the Manufacturing Innovation Challenge, Student Video Contest, Graphic Design Contest, and SCRAP. These modules work together to build student awareness of manufacturing career pathways while fostering industry-education partnerships. The program engages approximately 4,000 students annually with support from 61 manufacturing partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Explore Academies: Hands-on programming for middle and high school students to explore manufacturing careers
• Explore Workshops
• Manufacturing Days Virtual Labs
• Manufacturing Innovation Challenge
• SCRAP
• Student Video Contest
• Workforce Development

Products and services

• Explore: the New Manufacturing (Workforce Development Program) A free workforce development and educational program connecting West Virginia middle and high school students with manufacturing career pathways through hands-on programming, competitions, and industry partnerships.
• Academies & Workshops Interactive, hands-on educational sessions for West Virginia middle and high school students providing exposure to manufacturing skills and career opportunities.
• Manufacturing Days Virtual Labs Virtual laboratory experiences that allow West Virginia students to explore manufacturing concepts and careers remotely as part of Manufacturing Days programming.
• Manufacturing Innovation Challenge Student competition that encourages innovative thinking related to manufacturing industry problems and solutions among West Virginia middle and high school students.
• Graphic Design Contest Student competition focused on graphic design skills applied to manufacturing awareness and promotion among West Virginia students.
• Student Video Contest Competition inviting West Virginia students to create videos showcasing manufacturing careers and the Explore program.
• SCRAP (Student Resource Program) Student program focused on sustainability and recycling concepts within manufacturing contexts for West Virginia students.
• Student Resources Educational materials and resources supporting West Virginia students' career exploration in manufacturing.
• Explore Awards Program Regional awards program celebrating student achievements and manufacturing partner contributions through four regional award ceremonies across West Virginia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Engaged approximately 4,000 middle and high school students across West Virginia (2021-2022)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Manufacturing PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing partners that worked with students and educators to increase awareness of manufacturing career options. 61 partners engaged in 2021-2022 with 85.4% retention rate for 2019-2021.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SkillsUSA: A national nonprofit serving middle school, high school, and college students preparing for careers in trade, technical, and skilled service occupations including manufacturing — directly overlapping student engagement and competition model.
• SME Education Foundation: A nonprofit foundation focused on inspiring, preparing, and supporting students pursuing manufacturing and engineering careers through scholarships, STEM programs, and K-12 outreach — directly analogous mission and nonprofit education structure.
• mikeroweWORKS Foundation: A foundation advocating for skilled trades and manufacturing workforce participation, providing scholarships and promoting trade careers to young people — closely aligned mission around workforce pipeline awareness.
• NIMS (National Institute for Metalworking Skills): A nonprofit that develops manufacturing skills standards and credentials, with strong connections to workforce development and career pathways in manufacturing — closely aligned industry-education bridge.
• The Manufacturing Institute: The workforce and education arm of the National Association of Manufacturers, focused on building the manufacturing workforce pipeline through career awareness, education, and training initiatives — directly comparable mission to Explore's manufacturer-education partnership model.
• Dream It Do It: A national network of state-level programs that connect manufacturers with schools to promote manufacturing career awareness among students — closely mirrors Explore's industry-education bridge model.
• National Manufacturing Day (MFG Day): An annual industry-wide event that opens manufacturing facilities to students to promote manufacturing careers — closely comparable student-facing career awareness model also operated through manufacturer-school partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: A large nonprofit delivering K-12 career readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship education — overlapping student-facing career exploration programming but with a broader scope beyond manufacturing.
• ACTE (Association for Career and Technical Education): The national association for career and technical education, advocating for CTE programs including manufacturing pathways — overlapping focus on career pathway development for K-12 students.
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP): A national network of centers that support U.S. manufacturers, with workforce development as a key pillar — broader federal initiative that overlaps with Explore's mission of connecting manufacturers with talent pipelines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-explore-the-new-manufacturing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Explore the New Manufacturing