Sustaining a qualified workforce in manufacturing

1. Promoting Careers in Manufacturing:
The Opportunity in High Schools
Sustaining a Qualified Manufacturing Workforce
May 13, 2013
Bart Aslin
CEO
SME Education Foundation
Dearborn, MI
baslin@sme.org
www.smeef.org
www.career.me.org
www.facebook.com/SME.Education.Foundation

2. The Mission of the SME Education Foundation
The SME Education Foundation’s mission is to
prepare the future engineers and technologists
for manufacturing careers through outreach
programs to enrich students to study Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(STEM).

3. But, U.S. Manufacturing is dead and gone!

4. “The nation‟s manufacturers need more high-skilled workers with critical
thinking and innovation skills to maintain a competitive advantage in the global
marketplace.”

5. The 2011 Skills Gap Report conducted by The Manufacturing
Institute and Deloitte Consulting LLP reveals serious concerns
about the ability of manufacturers to fill critical positions that
require post-secondary education, including Associate of
Applied Science (AAS), Bachelor’s degrees and beyond. The
survey, which polled a nationally representative sample of
1,123 manufacturing executives across fifty states, finds:
Boiling point?
The skills gap in U.S. manufacturing
A report on talent in the manufacturing industry
Sponsored by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute

6. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of
respondents reported a
moderate to severe shortage of
available, qualified workers.
“High-skilled jobs in manufacturing grew by 12% from 2003 through 2010, while
mid-skilled jobs decreased by 3% and low-skilled jobs fell by 9% over the same
period.”

7. Fifty-six percent (56%)
anticipate the shortage to grow
worse in the next three to five
years.
“These results underscore the tenacity of a worsening talent shortage that
threatens the future effectiveness of manufacturing in America.”

8. Sixty percent (60%) of respondents said
that they were experiencing a moderateto-severe shortage of skilled engineering
technologists (industrial engineers,
manufacturing engineers, planners, etc.)
and fifty percent (50%) in scientists and
product design engineers.
“Moreover, skill shortages are impacting all stages of manufacturing – from skill
production workers to engineers – and are projected to worsen as „boomers‟
retire.”

9. Five percent (5%) of current jobs at
respondent manufacturers are
unfilled due to a lack of qualified
candidates. This equates to
approximately 600,000 jobs
nationwide.

10. What Do Manufacturers Want?
A national renaissance in manufacturing education will incorporate:
• A heightened focus on STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Math;
• More internships and mentorships to align higher education with
industry competency and skill requirements;
• Accelerated pathways to credentials and more “on and off” ramps to
post-secondary education, to support lifelong learning and improve
advancement opportunities; and
• More competency-based post-secondary pathways with opportunities
to earn interim industry-endorsed certifications with value in the
workplace, in addition to traditional educational credentials such as
certificates and degrees.

11. Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education
The health and vitality of U.S. manufacturing depends on the
strength and talent of its workforce. The mission of SME
Education Foundation is to inspire, prepare and support the
next generation of manufacturers to ensure a brighter future
for all of us – but we cannot do it alone.

12. Introducing PRIME
The PRIME model is a call to action designed to create strong partnerships
between organizations, businesses, and exemplary schools to provide a
comprehensive community-based approach to manufacturing education. These
are the kids who will power the future, they deserve our support.

13. What is a PRIME school?
PRIME was created to provide additional support and resources for schools with
the following attributes:
• An exemplary manufacturing curriculum that has been in place three years
or more and includes a comprehensive program with both academic and
hands on fabrication instruction
• Skilled and energetic instructors
• Engaged and active students
• Strong administrative support
• Support from the local manufacturing community
• Students are have access to company tours, job shadows, mentorships, and
connections to the manufacturing community
• Opportunity for access to local community college or university
manufacturing/engineering postsecondary programs.

14. How does a school benefit from PRIME?
To ensure the success of each PRIME school, the SME Education Foundation
provides the following assistance:
• Funding to update equipment, software and/or professional
development for staff
• Funding to host a STEM-focused youth camp
• Scholarship opportunities for students
• Connections within the local manufacturing community to encourage
opportunities for mentorships, facility tours and job shadows
• Access to careerme.org for student projects additional staff resources
and networking with other PRIME sites
• Promotion of school’s participation in PRIME to local and industry media
• Recognition on smeef.org and social media
• PRIME school banner for visual community recognition

15. Why should you support PRIME?
Technician, engineer, business owner, corporate executive, or simply concerned
citizen; whatever your role, you have a stake in the quality of our future
workforce.
Your support for PRIME, whether by serving on an advisory committee, acting as a
mentor, providing internships at your company, giving financial support, or
through in-kind contributions, will allow you to have a direct impact in your
community.
Through your support of a PRIME school, you can:
• Help change the public’s outdated perceptions of manufacturing
• Provide relevance to in-class curriculum through “real-world connections” for
both instructors and students
• Influence a program that will benefit local schools, ensuring a pipeline of more
qualified employees for your company.

16. PRIME Schools
Calera High School - Calera, Alabama
Esperanza High School - Anaheim, California
Hawthorne High School – Los Angeles, California
Petaluma High School - Petaluma, California
Wheeling High School – Chicago, Illinois
McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology - Indianapolis, Indiana
Walker Career Center - Indianapolis, Indiana
Cedar Falls High School - Cedar Falls, Iowa
Westfield Vocational Technical High School - Westfield, Massachusetts
Jackson Area Career Center - Jackson, Michigan
Summit Technology Academy – Kansas City, Missouri
Centerville High School, Dayton - Ohio
Kettering Fairmont High School - Dayton, Ohio
Francis Tuttle Technology Center- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Bradley Tech High School - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

17. Community College Partners
El Camino C.C. - Los Angeles, California
Hawkeye C.C. - Waterloo, Iowa
Nunez C.C. - New Orleans, Louisiana
Sinclair C.C, -Dayton, Ohio
Francis Tuttle Advanced Manufacturing - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

18. Thank You!
Bart Aslin
CEO
SME Education Foundation
One SME Drive
Dearborn, MI 48121
(313) 425-3302
baslin@sme.org
www.smeef.org