Bridging the Skills Gap: Good Fun Spurs Manufacturing Careers
07.14.2015
When most of us think about the skills gap, it’s just a big headache and certainly not fun. But there’s a place where the skills gap is being addressed and the atmosphere is “violently” fun (in a good way), and producing some manufacturing converts. As you’re likely aware, there are robotics competitions across the country that provide hands-on experience with engineering skills that can be applied in a manufacturing environment. The robots crash and bang, sparks fly, and through all the racket, students are learning that their hard work pays off and is fun and rewarding. Recently, Okuma’s Julie Murphy served as a judge for the presentation/interview and documentation portions of the 2015 National Robotics League (NRL) tournament. Here she had a chance to meet America’s emerging talent, and she took the opportunity to learn more about their career intentions.
Surprisingly Good News
Somewhat surprisingly, Julie heard some great news from the students. She asked each participant, many of them high school seniors, what they would be doing next year. As expected, many were headed to a 4-year university and many had chosen mechanical or electrical engineering as their field of study (with a few civil engineers thrown in). However a few stated they were actually headed directly into the manufacturing industry. Some already had full-time jobs lined up, one to begin even before graduation. A couple of apprenticeship pursuits, two planning to earn their journeyman’s certificates and one stated he was going to be a tool and die maker – most high school students don’t even know that occupation exists!
The Future of Manufacturing
This program, and others like it, obviously informs and educates students about the opportunities manufacturing presents. It creates awareness of the possibilities, engages students and their parents to the point that they want to learn more, and improves the perception of what manufacturing is and offers. The more students that become involved in this type of program, the more likely we are to keep our pipeline of skilled labor filled. To learn more, read Julie’s blog post, Robot Battles – The Future of Manufacturing, and check out the video to catch a glimpse of the action.
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