Advanced Manufacturing in the USA redefines professional careers and requires new and different skill sets than previous manufacturing jobs. Published in April 2017 in Techniques, the monthly magazine for ACTE members (Association for Career and Technical Education).

1. MANUFACTURINGINTHEUNITEDSTATESHASACHAL-
LENGEWITHITSIMAGE.WHENTHEMANUFACTURING
Institute surveyed Americans about man-
ufacturing, a career in manufacturing
ranked fifth out of seven possible indus-
tries (Manufacturing Institute, 2014a). The
dilemma for manufacturing is the general
population still sees industry jobs as blue
collar when they are increasingly white-col-
lar jobs with sizeable salaries requiring
highly technical and specialized skills.
But the persisting misperceptions
about industry jobs are contributing to
a recruitment challenge for career and
technical colleges and manufacturers
alike. Some institutions are working hard
to change that by upgrading their equip-
ment, working closely with employers to
realign curriculum and introducing more
project-based learning methodologies to
the classroom.
The general public remains largely in
the dark about the significant changes
happening in manufacturing. While pro-
duction innovations like 3-D printing are
gaining visibility, transformations driven
by computer-numeric programming ma-
chines, smart factories and other parts of
REDEFININGWHITE-COLLAR
JOBSINAMERICABy Mike Nager
48 Techniques April 2017 acteonline.org
FEATURE

2. advanced manufacturing remain less ac-
cessible. What’s more, individuals without
connections or exposure to manufacturing
technology from an early age do not see
how these innovations are redefining ca-
reers and the skills needed to obtain them.
All this is creating a significant chal-
lenge for workforce development in
manufacturing. Right now, skilled trades
are among the hardest jobs to fill in the
United States (Manpower Group, 2015).
The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau
of Labor Statistics quantifies that by re-
porting that as of December 2016, there
were 325,000 jobs open in manufacturing
(BLS, 2016).
By comparison, advanced manufactur-
ing in Germany is a sought-after career,
and it contributed 21 percent of the coun-
try’s GDP in 2010 (Wessner 2013). Credit
is widely given to the German dual-educa-
tion or apprenticeship model, which pairs
learning in a classroom with hands-on
training in a company. Employers and
educators collaborate to ensure students
are learning the technical knowledge they
need, as well as have the opportunities
to practically apply their skills. This is
something that many American career
and technical education programs are
replicating, while also making their own
improvements to the system.
Employer Collaboration
Starts With Listening
At Central Maine Community College
(CMCC) in Auburn, Maine, the Corporate
and Community Services division spends
a lot of time listening to employers about
what skills they need before creating cus-
tomized training programs and modifying
curriculum to prepare students with high-
er-end skills.
“You have to do a lot of listening and
try to understand what their real issues
are and then narrow things down so that
you are delivering what they need, not
just what you think they need,” says Diane
Dostie, dean of Corporate and Community
Services at CMCC.
Working with employers, CMCC creates
customized training programs that allow
employees at these companies to learn
new skills in a classroom and practice on
equipment at the school under instructor
supervision, alleviating the risk of novice
learners ruining company equipment. The
idea, according to Dostie, is to train work-
ers as fast as possible, without taking too
much time away from work so company
production is not disrupted.
The other way CMCC is helping people
learn new skills is by developing hybrid
curriculum, where some learning takes
place online, but students can also sched-
ule appointments for hands-on learning
and build projects on school equipment.
The school has specifically invested in
high-end equipment, like four- and five-ax-
is machines and live-tooling lathes, some
of which was donated by local employers
to ensure students are able to put what
they learn in the curriculum into practice
right away.
“The whole point of the curriculum is
to train people into higher-level skills,
because what we’re seeing in Maine is we
have more and more companies looking
for people who have these sophisticated
machining skills and who can program
four- and five-axis machines rather than
be only machine operators,” says Dostie.
Moving from operation skills to pro-
gramming skills is becoming more im-
portant in all aspects of manufacturing.
The Manufacturing Institute (2014b)
reports that technology/computer skills
is an area where employers see the larg-
est skills gap: 70 percent say employees
are deficient in these skills, while 69
percent say employees are deficient in
problem-solving.
Hands-on Problem-Solving
Andres Carrano, an associate professor
in Industrial Systems and Engineering
at Auburn University, welcomes the shift
in employers’ expectations, because it
emphasizes the importance of an aspect
of manufacturing curriculum he feels is
essential: the lab.
Carrano sees lab work as the best way
to replicate the hands-on learning stu-
dents need once they start working in a
real-life manufacturing setting. “You retain
knowledge more effectively over time once
you apply it, because students have that
physical engagement through a manufac-
turing activity,” says Carrano.
His labs emphasize not only technical
knowledge, which he is quick to point out
Employers and educators collaborate to ensure students are learning
the technical knowledge they need, as well as have the opportunities to
practically apply their skills.This is something that many American career
and technical education programs are replicating, while also making their
own improvements to the system.
April 2017 Techniques 49acteonline.org
FEATURE

3. is important, but also the soft skills
employers seek like problem-solving
and critical thinking. One lab Carrano
includes in his undergraduate courses
is a team-based assembly simulation. In
this lab student teams of four or five run
an assembly line using the same type
of equipment they will find in future
employers’ shops. They run the system
for 20 minutes and then see where the
bottlenecks happen, what the cycle time
was and where the system can improve.
In other words, they watch what hap-
pens in real time, and then discuss how
they can make it better.
Carrano also assigns individual labs, in-
cluding one he calls a “gate” or “check-out”
exercise. This is typically the last activity
of the lab and is designed to challenge
students to apply the technical knowledge
they have learned that day to the equip-
ment they are using in a new scenario.
Students’ problem-solving skills are put to
the test because they cannot leave the lab
until they complete the assignment and
clear the “gate.”
These exercises, according to Carra-
no, are dependent on industrial-grade,
high-quality equipment. “A critical differ-
entiator in these lab experiences is the
right equipment,” says Carrano. Though
he also recognizes that having the funds
to purchase that equipment can be a
challenge.
Finding and Funding
Industry-leading Equipment
At Wayne Community College in Golds-
boro, North Carolina, the Applied Technol-
50 Techniques April 2017 acteonline.org
FEATURE

4. ogies Division overcame that challenge by
persistently pursuing grant monies.
“If you have great intentions and good
instructors, but you don’t have the equip-
ment resources or you’re limited by space,
it puts you in a difficult situation to effec-
tively teach,” says Ernie White, division
chair of applied technologies.
White and his team have actively
searched and applied for grants to help
cover nearly $1.7 million in equipment for
students. That effort has paid off, accord-
ing to White.
“In my 12 years of educational expe-
rience, this is the first time I can say we
have state-of-the-art equipment that
a lot of industry is trying to secure,” he
says.
The equipment creates a “wow” factor
for new students and helps with recruit-
ing. But more importantly for the col-
lege, it engages students who might not
otherwise complete their degree. Many
students at Wayne are employed full-time,
have families to care for and are trying to
take a full course load. They also often re-
quire some remedial education when they
first enroll.
To support these high-risk students,
Wayne instituted a flexible curriculum
that incorporates many innovative
strategies, like flipped classrooms and
a series of certificates that students
can earn while they work toward their
associate in applied science. These inno-
vations applied to a manufacturing cur-
riculum help keep students motivated
to actively participate in class activities
and return the next semester. Wayne
notes, however, that nothing replaces
the hands-on learning they receive on
top-level equipment.
The lab on campus boasts FANUC ro-
bots, two 80-inch TVs, cameras that can
be accessed remotely to view and con-
trol the lab, as well as equipment from
leading manufacturing and automation
providers like Siemens, Allen Bradley
Corporation and Festo Didactic. Having
the cooperation of industry partners who
understand the importance of hands-on
learning helped the college secure the
needed equipment.
“It is essential that students learn on
equipment that industry is using today,”
says Thomas Lichtenberger, president
at Festo Didactic North America, one of
Wayne Community College’s technical
equipment providers. “Manufacturing is
changing, which is changing the nature
of jobs students will have, and having
access to hands-on learning will help
them effectively learn the skills they
need.”
In terms of changing the face of man-
ufacturing overall, Dostie notes it is a
challenge, but she says schools should
look to recruit students not traditionally
associated with manufacturing.
“We’ve been trying to recruit women
because these are great-paying jobs. The
jobs today go beyond brute strength. To
develop a program to operate a piece of
equipment, you just need to be smart,”
says Dostie.
The health of the manufacturing
workforce and attracting new students
to training programs might mean eval-
uating students’ interests and passions
differently.
“Back in the day, you chose engineer-
ing because you were a born tinkerer,
good with a screwdriver while taking
apart your toys or lawnmower—and you
liked it. Today’s manufacturing is more
focused on digital skills, so students
without the previously necessary man-
ual skills can still be passionate about
and successful in manufacturing,” says
Carrano. Tech
Mike Nager is the business development
manager for Festo Didactic Solution Cen-
ter in Eatontown, New Jersey. E-mail him
at michael.nager@festo.com. Learn more
about Festo Didactic at festo-didactic.com.
REFERENCES
Manpower Group. (2015). 2015 Tal-
ent shortage survey. Retrieved
from: http://manpowergroup.com/
talent-shortage-2015/talent+short-
age+results
Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte.
(2014a). Overwhelming support: U.S.
public opinions on the manufactur-
ing industry. Retrieved from: http://
www.themanufacturinginstitute.
org/~/media/DD8C9A2E99B34E-
89B2438453755E60E8/2015_Public_
Perception_of_Manufacturing.pdf
Manufacturing Institute and De-
loitte (2014b). The skills gap in
U.S. manufacturing: 2015 and be-
yond. Retrieved from: http://www.
themanufacturinginstitute.org/~/
media/827DBC76533942679A15E-
F7067A704CD.ashx
U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor
Statistics. (2016). Job openings and
labor turnover—December 2016. Re-
trieved from: http://www.bls.gov/news.
release/pdf/jolts.pdf
Wessner, C. W. (2013). How does Germany
do it? Retrieved from: https://www.
asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/
manufacturing-processing/how-does-
germany-do-it
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