Developing a Technician Training Program for the Advanced Manufacturing Workforce

随着美国制造业的不断发展，对高技能劳动力的需求正在增加。因此，该国正在经历一个受过训练的专业人员谁拥有在先进的制造环境中运作所需的技能严重短缺。该项目将改善和扩大欧扎克技术社区学院（OTC）先进制造业的技术培训机会。作为中西部为数不多的此类项目之一，该项目将为雇主提供正在寻找的工人，并为对制造业感兴趣的学生建立教育渠道。K-12学生的探索机会将被开发，以建立对制造业的兴趣。通过OTC的图尔斯之一或夏令营获得自动化兴趣的学生将有机会获得先进制造学位。然后，这些将有资格填补先进制造业的高需求职位之一，可在地区雇主。该项目有两个总体目标，1）改善和扩大两年制大学制造业的自动化和机器人教学，2）提高中学生对自动化和机器人职业途径的认识。由此产生的计划，与行业利益相关者的投入开发，将集中在关键领域，如机器人编程和维护，可编程自动化控制器集成到制造过程中，以及IT基础设施的发展，以支持自动化系统。为了解决熟练工人的差距，该计划将开发一个中学到中学后的人才管道，利用分层的方法，开始建立对自动化和机器人技术的兴趣早在高中。该计划将开发一系列的经验，让中学生发展在该领域的兴趣。这种方法将允许多个切入点和不同程度的参与，以培养一支为工业4.0需求做好准备的劳动力队伍。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

As the manufacturing sector in the United States continues to evolve, the need for a highly skilled workforce is increasing. As a result, the nation is experiencing a critical shortage of trained professionals who have the skills required to function in an advanced manufacturing environment. This project will improve and expand technical training opportunities in advanced manufacturing at Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC). As one of the few programs of this kind in the Midwest, this program will provide both the workers that employers are searching for as well as establishing an educational pipeline for students interested in manufacturing. Exploration opportunities for K-12 students will be developed to build interest in manufacturing trades. Students who gain an interest in automation through one of OTC’s tours or summer camps will have the opportunity to earn a degree in advanced manufacturing. These will then be qualified to fill one of the high-demand positions in advanced manufacturing available at area employers. This project has two overarching goals, 1) improve and expand automation and robotics instruction for manufacturing at two-year colleges, and 2) increase the awareness of automation and robotics career pathways for secondary students. The resulting programs, developed with input from industry stakeholders, will focus on critical areas such as robotic programming and maintenance, integration of programmable automation controllers into the manufacturing process, and development of IT infrastructure to support automated systems. To address the gap in skilled workers, the program will develop a secondary to post-secondary talent pipeline, utilizing a layered approach to begin building interest in automation and robotics early in high school. The program will develop a series of experiences that allow secondary students to develop an interest in the field. This method will allow multiple entry points and varying levels of involvement to develop a workforce prepared for the needs of Industry 4.0.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.