It’s no secret that the manufacturing industry has a workforce problem. Despite continued growth in the sector, attracting and retaining the right workers is a concern that keeps many executives up at night. A recent report predicts that the manufacturing industry will need as many as 3.8 million new workers by 2033, but 1.9 million of those jobs could go unfilled. To combat this issue, manufacturers, industry organizations, and government officials at all levels are investing in education and training opportunities across the country. Here are a few examples of how industrial stakeholders are coming together to inspire, educate, and train the next generation of manufacturing workers.
The National Science Foundation has awarded $1 million to the University of Louisville and partners. The project, called Advancing Manufacturing and Building Construction Technologies (NSF AMT), is designed to improve manufacturing innovation in Kentucky. The project will be funded by an NSF Engines Development award through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program. In a recent quote, UofL President Kim Schatzel said, “The innovative research we produce at UofL becomes most meaningful when applied to advancements that improve our community. We’re proud to continue working with our partners to translate our additive manufacturing knowledge into solutions that revolutionize the way we manufacture everything from medication to computer chips.”
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Penn State’s Behrend and University Park campuses will receive $4.4 million in funding to support several of its metals-based manufacturing programs. The investment will come from the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) and the Department of Defense. Researchers at the university are working to develop workforce development programs that will strengthen the U.S. metal casting and forging industries. In a recent quote, Joannie Harmon, vice president of workforce development at IACMI, said, “The foundational building blocks for all manufacturing start with metal. Fostering development of an industrial-base workforce and ensuring the right skill sets are available — from skilled trades on the shop floor through doctoral-level engineering capabilities in a research setting — is vital to national security.”
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The University of Connecticut’s Connecticut Manufacturing Simulation Center (CMSC) is designed to provide small-to-medium manufacturing businesses in the state with much-needed technical support. Created in partnership with the U.S. Economic Development Administration, CMSC’s goal is to promote innovation and economic development while simultaneously educating future workers on computing and simulation skills. In a recent quote, Jeongho Kim, professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of CMSC, said, “Some businesses may not have relevant expertise or resources to handle complicated processes or have the right machinery to complete a job. We’re able to help, by being sort of an R&D department for them. They give us their problems and we work to find them answers through physics-based modeling and simulation.”
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Syracuse University has announced plans to open a new Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing. The center, which will be funded by a $10 million investment from the University and a $10 million grant from Onondaga County, hopes to improve semiconductor manufacturing by bringing together experts in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, manufacturing processes, optimization and robotics. In a recent quote, Chancellor Kent Syverud said, “Syracuse University and Onondaga County have a longstanding history of collaborating in ways that are mutually beneficial for our students, faculty and staff; the Central New York community and the economic prosperity of our region. I am grateful for the county’s support. I look forward to the teaching and research that will occur at this new center as well as the meaningful ways that its educational outcomes will contribute to a thriving advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry in Central New York.”
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Moraine Park Technical College has begun construction on a new Advanced Manufacturing Center at its West Bend Campus. The project, which will be completed in two phases, includes the creation of a Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab, which will bring seven new manufacturing programs to the campus. The new lab is engineered to support advanced manufacturing, welding, metal fabrication and robotics for apprenticeship degree programs and job training. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
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