AN EDUCATION REVELATION

?In our current economic conundrum, the nation is finally beginning to realize how critically important the manufacturing industry is. As manufacturing job losses continue to be reported, we need to make sure young people (and parents who influence their decisions) are not confused about the issues. The excitement and self-motivated learning experience we saw at the Green Bay summer camp is an example of how we can open the eyes of young people to their career potential.?

These refreshing ?pro-manufacturing? comments were made recently by Saul K. Fenster, PhD, president emeritus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT; University Heights, Newark, NJ) to signify that our nation may finally be coming to its senses and relearning the value of manufacturing. Further confirmation comes from the reality that careers in manufacturing are becoming increasingly enviable. U.S. policy-makers are recognizing that having a manufacturing base that is strong, efficient and innovative is essential to our country?s economic future and security and the world?s environment. As companies begin to re-think off-shoring and consider re-directing their manufacturing and production facilities back to the U.S., skilled workers are and will be needed.

The world admires the United States for our education system. Students from China, India, Russia and a host of other countries fill our colleges and universities. However, after degrees and work experience are secured, unless they are offered extraordinary salaries and benefits by technology-based companies, they often return to their respective countries, while the U.S. continues to report a lack of skilled workers.

In 2003, manufacturing was a striking addition to the national agenda which included evaluating the state of the industry, education and workforce. At that time, this topic received attention from all levels of government, across all news media. That same year, Fenster served as president of the SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers; Dearborn, MI) Education Foundation that is committed to inspiring, supporting and preparing the next generation of manufacturing engineers and technologists in the advancement of manufacturing education. Created in 1979, it has provided more than $31 million since 1980 in grants, scholarships and awards through its partnerships with corporations, organizations, foundations, and individual donors.

Fenster concluded that, while the prominence of these issues was certainly a validation of the Foundation?s work, it was also a call to action. He accelerated the expansion of its efforts, requiring a great level of commitment from its leadership, volunteers, and donors. ?Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (also referred to as STEM) education is not only a prelude to engineering, but also to innovation in manufacturing in the 21st Century,? he says. ?STEM education is also crucial to fields in all areas of society, including the financial, medical and biology sectors. Engineering is a problem-solving profession, and when young people realize it is creative and fun, they are less apprehensive about its more challenging curriculum, and learning is made significantly easier.?

One example of this is found at The Gateway Academy, a summer day-camp program that introduces young people to science and engineering. This program is operated by Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a national nonprofit organization, and funded by the Education Foundation. This summer, more than 4,200 boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 14 attended 214 sessions at the Gateway Academy at 187 sites in 34 states. These sessions use hands-on, project-based courses to appeal to students to have fun while applying the fundamentals of STEM education. The popularity of the curriculum was showcased this year during sessions held at Green Bay West High School (Green Bay, WI), where students learned to make cars out of paper, catapults out of mouse traps and robots using computer software. Interviews with students, parents and teachers conducted by McLean Bennett, a local reporter from the Green Bay Press Gazette, found students so enthusiastic about the science and engineering day camp, they initiated their own projects and didn?t want to leave at the end of the day.

The word ?innovation? has become the highly-charged manufacturing industry?s linchpin to prevent it from falling off its axle. As innovation expands advanced technologies throughout our society, academics must be better educated about their digitally-enamored students so they can reach them with learning processes to which they can relate. The bottom line: Preparing for a career in manufacturing is no longer based on following the education standards created fifty years ago. According to Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and president emeritus of Teachers College, Columbia University, ?The clash between old and new is manifest in profound differences between institutions of higher education and the students they enroll. Today?s students are digital natives. They are growing up in a world of computers, Internet, cell phones, MP3 players, and social networking.?

Their 24/7 lifestyle, unbounded by physical location, will affect how they perceive job opportunities and how they will prepare for them. These scenarios are re-inventing the manufacturing industry as we know it. ?Today, while most production still takes place in a plant, other aspects of STEM are increasingly found in places like the home (telecommuting), space (satellites that move data) and on rooftops of homes and buildings (solar panels) (Source: Manufacturing Resurgence ? A Must for U.S. Prosperity, the National Association of Manufacturers). As U.S. industries transition, and repetitive assembly jobs continue to be lost to overseas markets, near and long-term career opportunities will be in the medical device industry, now in a growth and development mode. Other key future career opportunity industries include energy and energy resources, alternative energy, and the traditional industries of oil and gas. In the long term, more focus is also being placed on micro and nano products.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job projections through 2018 identify two of the fastest growing occupations as computer specialists, including computer applications software engineers; and biomedical, where there is a growing need for medical scientists, biochemists, biophysicists and biomedical engineers. The projected growth of medical equipment and supplies manufacturing is estimated at 16 percent, or 49,800 jobs through 2018. Projections for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry similarly show growth of about 6.1 percent or 17,600 jobs through the same time period. To help current and future students prepare and meet these projections through the STEM curriculum, the SME Education Foundation has invested $5.3 million in youth programs, helping over 15,000 young people explore career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. It has also funded grants of over $4.7 million in scholarships to students pursuing manufacturing-related careers, and invested $17.3 million in grants to 35 colleges and universities to develop industry-driven curricula.

Finally, some good news about the future of the U.S. manufacturing industry. Children are fascinated by things their parents no longer see, solve problems with simple solutions, and if left to explore, are naturally exhilarated by learning. The first step in providing career direction for children is making sure they have simple access to resources that will provide them with a solid grounding in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. For the next generation, parents alert: Everything your kids ever wanted to know about manufacturing starts in the third grade.

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