New 501(c)(3) Expands Awareness, Apprenticeships, Credential-Aligned Training and Career Pathways to Strengthen Long-Term Industry Capacity
HOUSTON, Texas (March 17, 2026) — The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the world’s largest corrosion and materials protection association, today announced the launch of TalentForce, a new charitable workforce development organization created to address a growing talent shortage across critical infrastructure sectors.
Corrosion silently degrades the bridges, pipelines, power networks, maritime assets and vital systems society depends on—costing the global economy more than $2.5 trillion every year. Controlling it requires skilled, credentialed professionals, but that talent base is eroding.
Experienced professionals are retiring. Fewer new entrants are replacing them. Upskilling is required as technology and performance standards advance. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a shortfall of 1.7 million infrastructure workers by 2031, and more than 70% of employers in corrosion-intensive sectors already report skills gaps.
At the same time, careers in corrosion and materials protection offer strong earning potential, cross-industry mobility and advancement opportunities that often do not require a four-year degree. Yet many prospective workers simply don’t know that these roles exist—or how to enter them.
When qualified roles go unfilled, crucial warning signs can be missed, increasing the risk of preventable failures, service disruptions and compromised public safety.
AMPP Sustains the World’s Most Critical Assets. TalentForce Will Sustain the Workforce That Protects Them.
For more than 150 years, AMPP has advanced the standards, credentials and technical expertise that protect the world’s most critical assets. Across industries and regions, its global network has seen firsthand that no single employer can solve the growing workforce shortage alone. Recognizing both the urgency and its responsibility to lead, AMPP launched TalentForce as a dedicated, long-term solution to strengthen workforce capacity across the corrosion and materials protection industry.
“The science of corrosion control and materials protection has never been stronger,” said Alan Thomas, chairman of TalentForce and CEO of AMPP. “But corrosion is no longer the industry’s only enemy: The workforce shortage is the greatest threat in the future. We know what’s coming and we know what it takes to fix it. TalentForce is how we act now—before workforce gaps become infrastructure crises.”
TalentForce is activating the workforce engine that makes asset protection possible through four core and compounding commitments:
- PURPOSE: Make the work visible and valued. Career-seekers can’t pursue a profession they’ve never heard of. Through early exposure initiatives and EMERG scholarships, TalentForce increases awareness of high-value careers in materials protection and expands access to those opportunities.
- PATHWAYS: Make it easier to enter and worth it to stay. Employer-co-created apprenticeships, earn-while-you-learn programs and stackable credentials create structured routes from entry-level roles to advanced specialization, reducing barriers to entry and improving long-term retention.
- PARTNERSHIPS: Drive solutions no single employer can build alone. TalentForce aligns industry, educators and workforce agencies to scale training that reflects real jobsite demands—not theory—and operates at national reach.
- PEOPLE+: Equip professionals for future success. Upskilling and reskilling opportunities ensure the workforce keeps pace as tools, standards and technologies evolve.
All TalentForce initiatives are grounded in AMPP’s globally recognized standards—ensuring that training reflects demonstrated competence, not just course completion, and that professionals are prepared to perform in real-world conditions. By aligning workforce development with industry-defined benchmarks, TalentForce uplifts both talent pipelines and infrastructure reliability at scale.
“We are actively working with employers to co-design registered apprenticeship and training programs tailored to the realities of their field and specific operational needs,” said Katerina Pinchuk, director and board secretary at TalentForce. “When workforce solutions are built with industry, the professionals we develop are ready to step onto a jobsite and contribute from day one, reducing onboarding time for employers and accelerating career momentum for workers.”
TalentForce invites employers, universities, workforce boards, government, industry and training partners to join a coordinated effort to reinvigorate the corrosion and materials protection workforce. Learn more at www.talentforce.org.
ABOUT TALENTFORCE
TalentForce is a 501(c)(3) workforce development organization launched by the Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). Created to address structural workforce challenges facing the industry, TalentForce advances clear career pathways, expands student outreach, provides scholarship opportunities and develops employer-driven workforce programs—all in close collaboration with employers, educators, workforce systems and government agencies. Learn more at www.talentforce.org and follow on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube.
ABOUT AMPP
The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) is a global leader dedicated to the protection of assets and the performance of industrial and natural materials. Established in 2021, AMPP brings together nearly 150 years of combined expertise from legacy organizations to advance solutions that enhance safety, security and sustainability across industries. Serving more than 40,000 members in over 150 countries, AMPP is the largest organization of its kind, providing innovative standards, certifications, training and resources. Headquartered in the United States with offices in Houston and Pittsburgh, AMPP also operates regional offices in Brazil, Canada, China, Dubai (training center), Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. www.ampp.org