Two bipartisan senators have introduced legislation designed to boost manufacturing training in states the need help the most. The Manufacturing Skills Act creates $100 million in annual competitive grants. The industry regained 500,000 jobs from 2010 to 2013, yet training programs have failed to keep up with surging demand.
Sens. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Kelly Ayott, R-N.H., want to help cities and states "do a better job of training... workers for the manufacturing jobs of the 21st century." The goal is to close gaps in skills and talents to meet the manufacturing training needs of companies moving forward, especially with advanced techniques that produce goods using computers and robotics.
The sector that stands to gain most from the Manufacturing Skills Act is the high-tech portion of the industry. More workers need education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, otherwise known as STEM. Various manufacturing sectors and localities have different needs, so the legislation is designed to be flexible with grant-giving funds. For example, Michigan desires skilled workers for auto industry programs, whereas Texas needs workers trained for energy production facilities.
Another boom in manufacturing revolves around additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing technology, and educational programs are trying to keep up. The University of Connecticut opened the Pratt & Whitney Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center in 2013. The UM3D lab on the campus of the University of Michigan encourages students to design their own 3-D-printed creations free of charge.
Lorain County Community College in Ohio received a $2.5-million grant to strengthen its Advanced Digital Manufacturing program, a move that typifies what manufacturing training grants are supposed to do. MakerBot wants to put 3-D printers in high schools throughout the United States in an effort to bring advanced technology to younger minds before they apply to colleges and universities.
The legislation before the Senate is designed to help educational institutions compete and keep up with demand for manufacturing training. Every school does not have the funding clout of large research universities in Connecticut and Michigan. Schools that receive these competitive grants stand to benefit from more tuition and higher enrollments that lead to greater funding for other projects.
The manufacturing and education industries both win, thanks to the manufacturing training initiative sponsored by Coons and Ayotte. Statistics show as many as 875,000 manufacturing jobs will go unfilled by 2020, and encouraging students to get advanced training is one way to alleviate the gap created by the current manufacturing boom. As technology in the industry changes, how workers are trained must change as well. Legislating incentives is one way to jump-start the process.
New manufacturing training funds strengthen workers who enter the job market, and large companies need competent, talented workers for the operation of advanced systems. More jobs and better educational skills improve the quality of life of Americans by providing higher-paying positions that otherwise languish.
Photo courtesy of koko-tewan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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