Developing, Upskilling & Transitioning Current Manufacturing Workforce

Workforce development is taking on increasing importance as manufacturers not only must fill more than 800,000 current openings but also define new careers involving robotics, automation and AI. Manufacturers are seeking people with the right skills for the advanced manufacturing jobs of today and tomorrow and finding ways to upskill their current staff.

Enhanced skills in the workforce are necessary to drive the automation technologies that will increase productivity and lead a resurgent U.S. manufacturing sector. Improvements in the workforce will help make more manufacturing businesses, especially small and mid-sized companies, economically viable.

The Manufacturing USA institutes are helping expand and upskill the manufacturing workforce by connecting industry with equitable education and workforce development systems, including those in underserved communities. The institutes and their industry partners are training and educating tens of thousands of workers, students, and educators. These efforts will build capacity in advanced manufacturing while supplying fulfilling careers in which workers earn family-supporting wages.

Each of the 16 institutes in the Manufacturing USA network has ongoing workforce development initiatives that range from internships and entry-level training to mid-career development and post-graduate programs. Funded in part by the Departments of Commerce, Defense and Energy, the institutes each focus on a different technology, but they all work toward securing America's future through advanced manufacturing innovation, education, and collaboration. The institutes are helping empower the next generation, strengthen our economy and improve our way of life.

Cybersecurity Sector Illustrates Current Needs for STEM Talent

The cybersecurity sector is a clear example of this dynamic. President Biden recently announced an ambitious plan to bolster U.S. cybersecurity. Much of this effort will be to upskill and reskill over 1 million workers by 2026 as cybersecurity credentials do not depend on traditional degree pathways.

Two of the institutes of the Manufacturing USA network are playing a major role in this initiative:

• The Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) is developing the Texas Manufacturing x Transformation Hub along with Port San Antonio and The University of Texas System. The $5 million facility will make available entry-level cyber educational programs and focus on accelerating training and strategic collaborations that safeguard our manufacturing, infrastructure and economy.
• The Manufacturing times Digital institute (MxD) has completed a Hiring Guide that features 247 identified cybersecurity roles. It recommends how to train and upskill workers to handle these jobs, and it breaks out detailed descriptions for three specific roles crucial to the future of cybersecurity.

Workforce Initiatives at the Innovation Institutes

The institutes have scores of workforce development programs that include recruiting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) talent, internship programs, boot camps and certification programs. Here is an example from each institute on how they are addressing the upskilling and development of the current manufacturing workforce.

AFFOA: Developing Ways to Align Training with Adoption of Technology

AFFOA is a partner in the MassBridge project, which is developing a stackable set of training programs to create pathways from existing technician training programs to the skill sets required by innovations developed in the Manufacturing USA network. AFFOA also is involved with the MassBridge Benchmark Report, which is conducting workforce road mapping of relevant Massachusetts companies. New workforce training programs for advanced manufacturing skills will have the highest impact if they proceed in parallel with advanced technology implementation efforts by the state’s manufacturing firms.

AIM: Developing the Photonics Industry’s First Career Development Roadmap

AIM Photonics partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Initiative for Knowledge and Innovation in Manufacturing and Office of Open Learning to author the Photonics Workforce Roadmap. The research, which is the first workforce roadmap for the fiber and photonics industry, identified a clear need for photonics technicians to receive more extensive training over the next three to five years on how to: fabricate and assemble optical systems, diagnose and resolve process or product problems, design and execute testing methods, and recommend design changes. Another study found the need to train recent advanced engineering graduates on how to design for manufacturing and move prototyping into a production environment.

AmericaMakes:  Creating Credential Programs That Evolve with Its Emerging Field

America Makes, the additive manufacturing institute, has previously identified 72 credentials in advanced manufacturing that were industry-recognized, and it assessed them at three skill levels – technicians, technologists, and engineers – to find gaps in additive manufacturing elements at each level. Its advisory group built a framework and new credential body of knowledge for additive credentials that were both stand-alone and incorporated into other credentialing systems and include knowledge requirements and performance assessments.

ARM Institute: A Resource for Vetted and Certified Robotics Training

ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) has launched www.roboticscareer.org – the nation’s first resource to connect manufacturers, workers, and job seekers with education programs to develop skills for careers in automation and robotics. The institute collaborated with 300 member organizations across industry, government, and academia to define the skill sets, competencies, and the pathways needed for these careers. Each program on the site aligns with an industry-vetted pathway, has been certified, and earned the ARM Endorsement Badge. At least a dozen programs have received the badge.

BioFabUSA: Seeking Skills that Reflect Integrated Nature of Biofabrication

The institute’s Education Workforce and Development roadmap identified highly needed skills for the biofabrication field, which is the production of tissues, organs and related technology. The workforce needs skills that reflect the integrated nature of the biofabrication industry, where technology bridges cell biology, engineering, automation, regulatory, and data analytics.

BioMADE: Developing an Academy for Industry Professionals

Among the projects at BioMADE, focused on bioindustrial manufacturing, is the creation of ALAKA’I (Aloha Life-Science Academy: Knowledge Advancing Industry). This project will establish an academy to develop industry-relevant multi-disciplinary training for professionals in the bioeconomy, including operators, technicians, scientists, managers, policy makers, regulators, investors, and advocates.

CESMII: Smart Manufacturing Training That Leverages Existing Systems

The smart manufacturing institute has developed a Factory 4.0 Educational Toolkit, which will enable small and medium-sized manufacturers to evaluate and apply learning from their operations into workforce development modules. These modules are on key aspects of Industry 4.0, including sensing, control, data acquisition, process simulation models, machine learning and prediction, and optimization. CESMII also has developed a Smart Manufacturing Workforce Development Model, a customizable system that allows organizations to develop training that leverages existing education and workforce systems.

CyManII: Hub Will Help Develop Cybersecurity Workforce

CyManII’s Texas Manufacturing x Transformation Hub (TxMx Hub) will provide cybersecurity education, training and certifications for the nation’s manufacturers. The partnership, funded by the state of Texas, will prioritize accelerating training and strategic collaborations that safeguard installations and transportation assets operated by U.S. public- and private-sector partners. The Hub’s efforts will focus on reaching manufacturers in critical sectors such as aerospace, computer hardware, advanced manufacturing, robotics, automobiles and electric vehicles. Initially, it will work with manufacturers to address urgent Department of Defense Cybersecurity Maturation Model Certifications (CMMC) as well as other requirements. It will then accelerate innovation by introducing small and medium-sized manufacturers to CyManII’s technical research and development projects. The Hub will deliver workforce training to college students, workers, executives, government officials, industry experts and Texas companies.

IACMI: Career Development for Machining, One of Manufacturing’s Legacy Roles

IACMI, the Composites Institute, has a program for established machinists that it calls America’s Cutting Edge. The program uses virtual training and machining simulation to teach physics-based machining parameter selection. This provides career development opportunities in advanced manufacturing for one of the industry’s legacy roles, CNC machining.