New Manufacturing Training Program | Right Skills Now

Posted on: October 28th, 2011

A new pilot program in Minnesota, focusing on addressing the shortage of skilled workers needed for manufacturing companies, officially launched October 27, 2011.

According to Manufacturing Institute, “This initiative, called Right Skills Now, is an acceleration of the NAM –Endorsed Manufacturing Skills Certification System, which includes nationally portable, industry-recognized certifications that are combined with for-credit education programs.”

The pilot program, currently available at Dunwoody College of Technology in Minneapolis and South Central College in Mankato, will initially focus on high-demand machining skills. The colleges worked with local manufacturers to develop a curriculum that would teach the skills necessary to operate current machinery. Students, in one semester, can come away with a Right Skill Now Certificate and begin work right away.

Check out one employer’s story below detailing how important this program is to the manufacturing sector.

For more information check out the “Right Skills Now” website.

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High School Inventors Impress

Posted on: September 8th, 2011

Take a moment to read through the list of High School Inventors. The projects they are working on or have completed are astounding for even an adult much less a high school age student.

Some of the inventions include:
Smartphone water-quality tester
Portable, solar-powered desalination unit
CO filtration system for car exhaust
Improved MRI contrast for more-accurate diagnoses
… and more.

Click on the link Popular Science to read about all the inventors.

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Sourcing Future Engineers

Posted on: June 30th, 2011

St. Paul has an all-girl public charter school, started in 2008, emphasizing technical fields. The purpose of the school is to promote science, technology, engineering, arts and math to girls 5th-8th. Women have equal aptitude for these fields but are often discouraged from pursuing the subject or lose interest before they are even 9 years old.

Read Full Article at Star Tribune

Click Here for more information about Laura Jeffrey Academy.

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PET Preform Plastic Injection Molding

Posted on: April 26th, 2011

I found this picture and video on another blog. I’m always interested in seeing how day-to-day items are made and wanted to share. Thanks- 22 Words.

Before it’s formed (via TYWKIWDBI)

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Education Important for the Future of Manufacturing

Posted on: November 30th, 2010

The last decade has been a tough one on the manufacturing industry. With a recent trend of moving manufacturing overseas, it is the belief of many that the production sector has all but disappeared from the United States. Although many low-skilled jobs have indeed been relocated, a growing demand for highly skilled labor exists. The modern manufacturing worker will be a highly talented, specialized operator proficient in hydraulics, robotics, electrical systems, and computer science. There is a problem quickly developing, however, as this type of employee is becoming more and more scarce.  

According to a national poll of teenagers taken in September of 2010, teens have a very major disinterest in manufacturing and working with their hands. As a result, the educational system ignores this entire area as a viable career option.⁽¹⁾ This is partially due to the current social views on manufacturing. Teens see most careers of this nature as an unskilled, uneducated, and unprofessional vocation choice, one that requires an excessive amount of manual labor and a low rate of pay. This is not the case, however. New research from the Manufacturing Institute shows that a manufacturing job pays, on average, $32 per hour, which is 9% above the national average.⁽²⁾

Another myth of modern manufacturing is the view of what production in America truly is. According to Mark Tomlinson, executive director and general manager of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, “Manufacturers are looking for employees who are the opposite of the stereotypical worker doing repetitive, assembly line work. They are in need of 21^st century workers with specialized technical training such as machinists, operators, and technicians.”⁽³⁾ Tomlinson also believes that it will be a challenge for modern manufacturers to fill these much needed spots for skilled manufacturing, and that as America pulls itself up out of the recent recession it will be a challenge for manufacturers to fill these positions.⁽³⁾

The solution to this problem, then, lies in education. Not only must manufacturers strive toward educating youth about the promising and engaging careers available in modern production; they must communicate this to the public. For too long manufactures have failed to shift their image, and as a result the education system has passed this profession choice to the sidelines in favor of an academically focused system. Even those students who have an interest in a trade or vocational school are discouraged from following this path in favor of a traditional four-year university.

High school level education offers courses primarily for the sake of college-prep, and fails to offer many of the mathematics and mechanics courses that could lead students into the highly skilled manufacturing sector. This blunder of public policy needs to be rectified, and the first step is to fight the many misconceptions about the modern production sector.

Organizations have begun to embark on campaigns to educate and attract the younger generation of students to ensure that there will be skilled workers in the future. It is the goal of these conglomerates to communicate to the public that although many low-wage jobs have been transplanted overseas, there is a very bright future in the field of complex manufacturing.

To name a few:
www.manufacturingiscool.com
www.360mn.org
www.amcsquared.com

Sources:

1. Metal Center News (America’s Most Wanted: Skilled Workers | Sept 2010 | Gerald Shankel)
2. Industrial Engineer (Manufacturing in 2010 | Jan 2010 | Jeff Owens)
3. Industry Week (Help Wanted | Feb 2010 | Josh Cable)

Read how Hartfiel Automation helps in our Hartfiel News Blog .

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