A report by The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte found that 4.6 million jobs will need to be filled in the U.S. manufacturing over the next decade, and 2.4 million jobs may be left open due to a lack of trained workers. That’s a lot of opportunity for U.S. students and workers! However, misconceptions about manufacturing careers often prevent students, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors from considering and promoting these career paths. Not only does this prevent students from taking on well-paying and meaningful careers, but this also leaves U.S. manufacturing open to vulnerability and limits the nation’s ability to quickly respond to crises.
As detailed in President Biden’s proclamation, Manufacturing Day is an important annual event that seeks to correct misconceptions about manufacturing and engage the next generation of workers. In celebration of Manufacturing Day, the ARM Institute, in partnership with our Mill 19 collaborators, Carnegie Mellon University’s Manufacturing Futures Institute, Catalyst Connection, and the University of Pittsburgh, welcomed more than 80 high school students from the Pittsburgh region to Mill 19! Students enjoyed rotating tours of a panel discussion about manufacturing careers, an exhibit hall setting of training providers and technology providers, and tours of robotics and technology demonstrations.
Interactive Discussions about Manufacturing Careers
Mary Ellen Rich, ARM Institute Certification Manager, moderated an interactive panel discussion about manufacturing careers. She was joined by Caitlyn Razo (a College Senior majoring in Mechatronics Engineering Technology and minoring in Robotics Engineering Technology), Ian Maclachlan (a student at Carnegie Mellon University who transferred from the ARM Endorsed Community College of Allegheny County), Mckenna Merrill (Associate Scientist in the Cellular Process Development lab at ElevateBio), and Lauren Morlacci (Continuous Improvement Manager at L&S Machine Company). The panel showcased the wide breadth of options for those looking to work in manufacturing and the diverse training/education paths students can take to get a job in manufacturing.
Connections with Local Training Providers & Employers
Students also had the opportunity to connect directly with education providers and employers from the Pittsburgh region in our mini Exhibit Hall. Students enjoyed everything from hands-on activities, like working with a 3D printing pen with Bots IQ, to demonstrations of the ARM Institute’s RoboticsCareer.org resource that connects students to customized training matches for robotics careers in manufacturing.
Thank you to our many exhibitors, including Community College of Allegheny County, BotsIQ, ElevateBio, HEBI Robotics, the Girls of Steel, Robert Morris University, Industrial Arts Workshop, and so many others for bringing demonstrations and connecting with the students!
Mill 19 in Action
Throughout the day, students were also taken on tours of Mill 19 where they saw technology and project demonstrations. Chris Adams, ARM Institute Senior Programs Manager, demonstrated our Veo Robotics FreeMove System installation. ARM Member Veo Robotics installed the demonstration at Mill 19 to showcase how the FreeMove System brings the power of industrial robots to the world of collaborative robots in a safer and productive way. The demo shows how the system perceives a human approaching a Yaskawa industrial robot and, in response, slows down and stops moving.
Students also toured Carnegie Mellon University Manufacturing Futures Institute’s additive labs. Beyond established Mill 19 collaborators, the event also allowed the University of Pittsburgh and Elevate Bio to start engaging with the community. With help from a $100M gift from the RK Mellon Foundation, the University of Pittsburgh and Elevate Bio will bring the BioForge to Mill 19. The BioForge will help bring new cell and gene therapies and other novel treatments to patients and the marketplace, and will offer high-tech manufacturing capabilities, wet lab, and other innovation and incubation space.
Resources – Keeping Students Engaged After Manufacturing Day
The mission to correct misconceptions about the manufacturing industry and engage the next generation of manufacturers can’t stop after Manufacturing Day. That’s one reason why the ARM Institute created RoboticsCareer.org. Whether you’re a student, worker, or training provider, RoboticsCareer.org connects you to the resources you need to take the next step in your career, find industry-vetted training, or grow your base of students. RoboticsCareer.org demystifies robotics career paths in manufacturing, provides custom training matches based on students’ goals, allows students to create profiles to build digital resumes, and more.
Plus, you can use and share our free resources about robotics in manufacturing below:
- Robots & Jobs – What’s the Truth?
- A Quick Guide to ARM Institute Endorsed Training Programs
- The Robotics Technician Role – What Skills Do You Need?
- Mid-Level Robotics Roles in Manufacturing – How Do You Get Started?
- White Paper: Solving the Manufacturing Workforce Gap with Millennials & Gen Z
Want to learn more about RoboticsCareer.org? Contact us at [email protected].
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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 300+ 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, 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 Twitter.