News
The Future of Manufacturing is in the
Third Grade
Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, the SME Education
Foundation is focused on improving the quality of manufacturing
education by encouraging increased attention to science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
DEARBORN, Mich., July 26, 2010 — 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 United States 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 the time, this topic received attention
from all levels of government, across all news media. That same
year, Saul K. Fenster, PhD, president emeritus of the New Jersey
Institute of Technology (NJIT), University Heights, Newark, N. J.,
served as president of the SME Education Foundation. He 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.
Says Fenster, "Science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) education is not only a prelude to engineering, but also to
innovation manufacturing in the 21st Century. 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."
The Gateway Academy, a summer day camp program, introduces young
people to science and engineering. This summer, more than 4,200
boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 14, are attending 214
sessions at the Gateway Academy at 187 sites in 34 states. It
appeals to students with hands-on, project-based courses where
students have fun while applying the fundamentals of science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. The
program is operated by Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a national
nonprofit organization, and funded by the SME Education
Foundation.
An example of its popularity this year is the Gateway Academy
held at Green Bay West High School in Greenbay, Wis., 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.
Says Fenster, "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."
The reality is 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 our
country's world 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 word "innovation" which has become the manufacturing
industry's linchpin—will keep this highly-charged industry
from falling off its axle. As innovation expands advanced
technologies, educators need to be better educated about their
digitally enamored students, and how better to reach them with
learning processes to which they can relate. 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 takes place in a
plant, increasingly there are also 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 (NAM).
Major support from the SME Education Foundation has
included:
- An investment of $5.3 million in youth programs, helping over
15,000 young people explore career opportunities in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education; - Grant-funding of over $4.7 million in scholarships to students
pursuing manufacturing-related careers, and - An investment of $17.3 million in grants to 35 colleges and
universities to develop industry-driven curricula.
About the SME Education Foundation:
The SME Education Foundation is committed to inspiring, supporting
and preparing the next generation of manufacturing engineers and
technologists in the advancement of manufacturing education.
Created by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 1979, the SME
Education Foundation has provided more than $31 million since 1980
in grants, scholarships and awards through its partnerships with
corporations, organizations, foundations, and individual donors.
Visit the SME Education Foundation at
target="_blank" href="http://www.smeef.org">www.smeef.org; a
new website supporting advanced manufacturing at
target="_blank" href="http://www.CareerMe.org">www.CareerMe.org
and an award-winning website for young people,
target="_blank"
href="http://www.manufacturingiscool.com">www.manufacturingiscool.com.
target="_blank">SOURCE
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