Industry 4.0 Technicians in Advanced Manufacturing

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The fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, is causing a new wave of connected and smart manufacturing across the globe. Industry 4.0 combines advanced manufacturing systems with technologies such as cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing. Companies are redesigning and streamlining their production lines to include these technologies and increase process automation. The growing complexity of advanced manufacturing makes it even more important than ever before for manufacturing technicians to understand advanced concepts and have good analytical and problem-solving skills. To meet this workforce need, Florida State College at Jacksonville and the College of Lake County in Illinois will partner with businesses and industrial organizations. Through this partnership, they will add topics related to new production methods to their associate degree programs in advanced manufacturing. This project will help prepare technicians who have the necessary knowledge and skills for the emerging innovations in the manufacturing industry. The project will also focus on increasing the number students from under-represented groups who enroll in and graduate from the advanced manufacturing degree programs. As a result, the project aims to enhance the diversity of the advanced manufacturing technician workforce.The goals of this project will be to: 1) modify courses in the Automation, Robotics, Mechatronics, and Engineering Technology associate degree programs at both institutions to incorporate concepts relevant to Industry 4.0; 2) create a simulated Smart Facility with state-of-the-art equipment in which students can apply knowledge learned in the courses and strengthen their skills using real-world scenarios; and 3) develop mini-labs and lab-based kits to provide hands-on learning activities that engage high school students and teachers with new advanced manufacturing technologies and concepts. The existing courses will be modified to embed content related to system integration, digital manufacturing, data analytics, and cybersecurity. The course enhancements will be designed to increase students' understanding of the connections between manufacturing hardware, automated processes and monitoring, and the relevant software applications. The refined curriculum will be flexible, allowing students and incumbent workers to obtain stackable certifications through the National Coalition of Certification Centers. Faculty at the colleges will receive professional development to promote their knowledge in the new content areas and increase their ability to use the new software and equipment. Workshops and outreach events for high school students and teachers will be conducted using mini-labs and customized technical content. These activities will aim to increase teaching and learning about these technologies in secondary schools as well as increase awareness of career pathways in the evolving advanced manufacturing industry. Project results and materials will be shared on a dedicated website, in online repositories, and at regional and national venues. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.