Workforce pathway map
A clear view of the journey from candidate to a defined aerospace occupation.
2150 × TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY / ACADEMIC COLLABORATOR
2150 Aerospace iLAB& Advanced Manufacturing
Problems to Solutions.
Solutions to Startups.
Startups to Successful Companies.
2150 connects students, professors and industry leaders to develop solutions, validate business opportunities and advance promising ventures into companies that create economic and community impact.
THE PATHWAY FUNDING ENABLES
IDEA OR PROBLEMSOLUTIONSTARTUPINVESTABLE & IMPACTFUL COMPANY
GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY. LOCAL TALENT. LASTING IMPACT.TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA ↗
2150-LED / INDUSTRY-CONNECTED
ACADEMIC COLLABORATOR: TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
Aerospace & advanced manufacturing
Global markets. Employer-informed workforce pathways.
Current stage: proposed research pilot
Customer validation and investment readiness ahead
01 / IDEA OR PROBLEM → GLOBAL OPPORTUNITY
A global industry.
A local starting point.
Aerospace and advanced manufacturing depend on skilled people. This proposed iLAB investigates the gaps between training, recruitment and employer demand—starting with one occupational pathway at Tuskegee and testing whether a practical solution can serve a larger market.
01
Idea or problem
Identify where candidates fall out of a defined aerospace occupational pathway.
02
Solution
Develop and validate an employer-informed readiness assessment.
03
Startup
Test a talent-readiness service with colleges, employers and workforce intermediaries.
04
Investable & impactful company
Demonstrate customer demand, viable delivery economics and measurable workforce impact.
02 / PROBLEM → VALIDATED SOLUTION
Where does the pathway
break down?
Where do candidates fall out of the pathway into one selected aerospace occupation, and what employer-informed intervention can close that gap?
PROPOSED RESEARCH PILOT / NO VALIDATED VENTURE YET
RESEARCH & VALIDATION
- 01
Select one aerospace occupation with employer input.
- 02
Map required skills and credentials.
- 03
Interview employers, training providers and students.
- 04
Compare candidate readiness with job requirements.
- 05
Identify one remediable barrier in the pathway.
03 / SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT & PILOT OUTPUTS
Research that becomes
something useful.
Four planned outputs. One focused occupational pathway. A practical foundation for a workforce pilot and future customer validation—not a claim of proven commercial success.
Policy & employer practice brief
Employer-informed recommendations for closing an identified pathway gap.
Skill rubric
A shared framework for the skills and credentials that matter to employers.
Prototype readiness assessment
A practical prototype to compare candidate readiness with job requirements.
WHAT WE WILL MEASURE ↗
Assessment completion · Employer acceptance of the rubric · Movement into interviews or training
04 / SOLUTION → STARTUP
From a research pilot
to a readiness service.
A potential aerospace-sector talent readiness and assessment service for employers, colleges or workforce intermediaries.
The pathway starts with one occupation and one employer-informed barrier—not an assumption that a solution is ready to scale.
Potential revenue through institutional contracts or employer-funded cohort services. Customer willingness to pay and delivery economics still need validation.
05 / WHAT FUNDING ENABLES
Back the work.
Build the evidence.
Support turns a proposed investigation into the participation, research and validation needed to assess a real commercial opportunity. Funding would enable these six building blocks.
Student participation
Stipends and participation in research, assessment and pilot activities.
Faculty research
Occupational-pathway analysis, credential mapping and rigorous evaluation.
Industry engagement
Employer interviews, skills alignment and access to real recruitment needs.
Solution development
A practical readiness assessment and employer-informed skill rubric.
Customer validation
Test who would use the service, who would pay and what value they expect.
Pilot testing
Evaluate delivery cost, candidate readiness and movement into interviews or training.
Startup → investable &
impactful company.
Advancement requires an identified customer, a viable revenue model, demonstrated value and measurable impact. We need evidence that an employer will use and pay for the assessment—and that delivery cost and outcomes improve on its current process.
These are milestones to establish, not results already achieved. Internships and placements remain pilot outcomes to pursue.
06 / THE PEOPLE BUILDING THE FUTURE
Global Opportunity.
Local Talent.
Lasting Impact.
Support the students, professors and industry collaborators moving real problems toward practical solutions and impactful companies.
Led by 2150 in collaboration with Tuskegee University, this proposed iLAB brings campus research and industry insight together around aerospace workforce readiness.
