Washington — The National Association of Manufacturers today rolled out a new certification system that, the group hopes, will more closely link education and training with the skills in demand by employers.

The first part of the certification system to be released focuses on core skills needed in all sectors of manufacturing, including basic academic competencies, general workplace skills, and industry-wide technical know-how, and is grounded in the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate. The system also adopts sector-specific skills certifications adopted by industry groups, such as the National Institute for Metalworking Skills.

John Engler, president and chief executive of the manufacturers’ association, said that, despite the economic downturn, some manufacturing jobs are going unfilled because employers can’t find workers with the right training. The new skills-certificate system is important, said Mr. Engler, a former Michigan governor, because it “aligns education with credentials with value in the marketplace.”

Roy Church, president of Lorain County Community College, in Ohio, said the system was an important tool to help students understand the educational path to take to a job in manufacturing.

The new credentialing system comes as job training, particularly that offered by community colleges, is getting a fresh burst of attention, as policy makers in the federal government seek to stanch the nation’s economic hemorrhaging. The $787-billion economic-stimulus bill, signed into law last month by President Obama, will provide $3-billion to programs under the Workforce Investment Act that finance job training, including courses at community colleges. —Karin Fischer