Carnegie Mellon University Special Advisor to the President Michael McQuade participates in a Stakeholder Roundtableon Workforce Management into Tech Jobs during the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council at Mill 19 on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.[/caption] Carnegie Mellon University Special Advisor to the President Michael McQuade participates in a Stakeholder Roundtableon Workforce Management into Tech Jobs during the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council at Mill 19 on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.[/caption] Carnegie Mellon University Special Advisor to the President Michael McQuade participates in a Stakeholder Roundtableon Workforce Management into Tech Jobs during the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council at Mill 19 on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.[/caption] CREDIT: Carnegie Mellon University[/caption]
On September 29, 2021, the ARM Institute was honored to participate in the Inaugural United States-European Union Trade and Technology Council Meeting. The objective of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) is to promote U.S. and EU competitiveness and prosperity and the spread of democratic, market-oriented values by increasing transatlantic trade and investment in products and services of emerging technology, strengthening technological and industrial leadership, boosting innovation, and protecting and promoting critical and emerging technologies and infrastructure. This historic event took place at our headquarters shared with Carnegie Mellon University – Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green in Pittsburgh, PA.
As part of the event, ARM Institute Chief Executive Officer Ira Moskowitz participated in a roundtable discussion led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. This open discussion focused on three themes: Modernizing Apprenticeships, Building Employer-Led Partnerships, and Diversifying Tech Talent.
These themes mesh perfectly with the ARM Institute mission to lead the way to a future where people and robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to develop and produce the world’s most desired products.
In the roundtable discussion, we were able to highlight our extensive efforts to develop and strengthen the U.S. manufacturing workforce. This includes our plans to develop virtual reality (VR) training and robotics certification that align with our standardized robotics career competency framework. This framework was developed in collaboration with our 300+ member organizations. More details about our VR training and robotics certification efforts are forthcoming.
Additionally, the ARM Institute is dedicated to driving more diversity in manufacturing by engaging with underserved communities. Our Mill 19 headquarters is located in the Hazelwood neighborhood of Pittsburgh that was once a hub where local workers produced more than 1 million tons of metal per year at Jones & Laughlin Steel Company. When the steel mills in this neighborhood shut down, the majority of employment and economic opportunity for the neighborhood was lost. Today, we work with regional partners including Catalyst Connection, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Richard King (RK) Mellon Foundation, Center of Life, and other organizations to expose Hazelwood residents to the new opportunities emerging in manufacturing thanks to new opportunities in advanced manufacturing like robotics and AI.
While story of Mill 19 is unique in that the site has been revitalized and now will help to define the future of U.S. manufacturing, there are many communities across the nation like Hazelwood that lost economic opportunity and can be better engaged to help grow the U.S. workforce.
Beyond regional efforts, ARM Institute-funded workforce efforts like our AmSkills project have dedicated outreach to underserved racial groups, veterans, houseless and unemployed populations, women, and others to improve diversity in manufacturing and grow our workforce.
CREDIT: Carnegie Mellon University. Principals, including Ambassador Katherine Tai, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, EU Commissioner & Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, and EU Commisssioner & Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager answer questions from the media after posing for a photo during the U.S.-E.U. Trade and Technology Council at Mill 19 on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021.[/caption]
The full set of participants in the meeting included:
Department of State:
- Antony Blinken, Secretary
Department of Commerce:
- Gina Raimondo, Secretary
Office of the United States Trade Representative:
- Katherine Tai, U.S. Trade Representative
European Commission:
- Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager
- Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis
- Stavros Lambrinidis, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States,
Roundtable guests
- Karan Bhatia, Vice President of Government Affairs & Public Policy, Google
- Quentin Bullock, President. Community College of Allegheny County
- Patrick Gallagher, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh
- Amanda Gill, Head of Talent Acquisition-The America’s, Nokia
- Gabriella Gonzalez, Program Manager, Richard King Mellon Foundation
- J. Michael McQuade, Vice President for Research, Carnegie Mellon University
- John Tkach, Executive Director, Keystone Development Partnership
- Rachel Mauer, President, German American Chamber of Commerce – Pittsburgh Chapter
- Petra Mitchell, President, Catalyst Connection and ARM Institute Board Member
- Ira Moskowitz, CEO, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute
- Audrey Russo, President & CEO, Pittsburgh Technology Council
- Joe Peilert, CEO, VEKA Holdings, Inc.
About the ARM Institute
The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004, and part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse ecosystem of 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.