ARM Institute Reaffirms Commitment to Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Neighborhood with Funding for Community Scholarship
The ARM Institute will partner with the Hazelwood-based Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) on a new scholarship for the community.
December 18, 2023 – To deepen its support for Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood community, the ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute will provide a new scholarship to support a local student in a year’s worth of existing Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) core programming. Located in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, the ARM Institute is committed to being a collaborator and force for good in the Hazelwood community, helping both to bring new opportunities to community residents and strengthen existing opportunities like those provided by IAW.
The ARM Institute is a national Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institute and a member of the Manufacturing USA© Network. The Institute leverages its ecosystem of more than 400 member organizations across industry, government, and academia to catalyze critically needed robotics and workforce innovations in manufacturing.
Beginning in January, the ARM Institute Scholarship will provide IAW with funding to support a student in a year’s worth of existing IAW core programming. IAW, also based in Hazelwood, empowers Pittsburgh-area youth and adults at the intersection of arts, community development, and workforce readiness. Through the creative process of hands-on sculpture design and welding, students develop skills and have experiences that help prepare them for the workplace – whether that be in welding, another trade, the arts, or some other field all together. The scholarship will cover the cost of well-rounded instruction in welding and metalworking techniques, including instructor time, materials, welding equipment use, and personal safety gear.
The scholarship builds on the existing relationship the ARM Institute has with IAW, which has included hosting IAW student tours of Mill 19. Having recently added new automated welding capabilities to the Institute’s Robotics Manufacturing Hub, this new capability and other robotic demonstrations at Mill 19 will continue to help students understand how their education at IAW can lead to careers in manufacturing.
“We are proud to provide this funding to IAW for the Hazelwood community. Welding training provides both a pathway to a well-paying job and inspires artistic expression,” noted Ira Moskowitz, ARM Institute CEO, “As one of our core values, regional engagement is important to the ARM Institute team. We selected IAW for this scholarship specifically to strengthen our outreach in our community in Hazelwood.”
“IAW is excited to accept the first ever ARM Institute scholarship to support a local welding student for the 2024 calendar year,” noted Tim Kaulen
Executive Director of IAW, “The ARM Institute scholarship is an incredible opportunity for IAW, both in terms of offsetting true costs in program support, but also in validating our work to the industry sector, as we solidify our role in the workforce eco-system, and continue to do our part in introducing youth to meaningful career opportunities.”
Though a national Institute, the ARM Institute is equally committed to being a good neighbor to the Hazelwood community and the broader Pittsburgh region. The Institute has a number of Pittsburgh regional programs, including our Robotics Manufacturing Hub and Innovation Accelerator Program through the region’s Build Back Better award, our Department of Labor grant for dislocated workers in the Pittsburgh region, and our work on the Pittsburgh Workforce Hub, that supplement our many national programs.
Hazelwood is one of Pittsburgh 90 diverse neighborhoods and was selected as the ARM Institute’s headquarters through the original proposal to create the ARM Institute. Hazelwood’s history is archetypal of the hardships endured by neighborhoods that relied on the steel industry and saw decreased population and resources as a result. By providing this support to a Hazelwood-based training provider, the ARM Institute aims to deepen its reach into the community.
ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE
The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse ecosystem of 400+ consortium members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience. Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, with a satellite office in St. Petersburg, FL, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
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ABOUT IAW
Industrial Arts Workshop is a Hazelwood-based youth focused nonprofit organization, dedicated to educating and supporting youth interested in a future in welding. We do this via youth and workforce development programming, fostering collaboration among artists across the country, and through investing in the local community. We thrive on innovative partnerships with local companies, educational institutions, unions, trade organizations and individual donors who are equally as committed to bringing to life the unique culture and creativity of the Hazelwood community.
Mission: The Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) empowers Pittsburgh-area youth and adults at the intersection of arts, community development, and workforce readiness. Through the creative process of hands-on sculpture design and welding, students develop skills and have experiences that help prepare them for the workplace – whether that be in welding, another trade, the arts, or some other field all together. Youth and adults who complete our programs will be stronger, more resilient, and prepared for a bright future.