Inspire Youth to Explore a Manufacturing Degree

Educating and creating a skilled manufacturing workforce, one that can meet the challenges of today, is a shared responsibility. The involvement of manufacturers, parents and educators is necessary to create an atmosphere where students are exposed to the exciting career opportunities in the many manufacturing fields and to teach them the skills needed to achieve success in these industries.

The skills in demand for those pursuing a manufacturing degree include:

• Math & Science

• Ability to solve complex problems and think analytically

• Written and oral communication

• Ability to work both in teams and alone

• Creativity and ingenuity fostered by the arts

• Technical knowledge and computer skills

• Drafting and engineering

• Creative problem solving

Too few students take the math and science needed while in school to qualify for these careers, and fall near the bottom in these subjects in comparison to their 12th grade peers overseas.  However, manufacturing degrees focus primarily on these subjects, requiring students to pay special attention in these areas.

One major reason why the United States is not producing enough skilled workers is because students are not being provided with the up-to-date career guidance and the corresponding coursework they will need to achieve a successful career.

Another reason is that manufacturing jobs are not in vogue and are rarely mentioned to students when choosing a career path. Very few colleges offer a Bachelor Degree in Manufacturing Management, Manufacturing or Machining. There is very little publicity about the variety of career opportunities in manufacturing or the value of such careers. Manufacturing pulls together Engineering, Computer Science, Business Management, Human Resources, Administration, Accounting, along with hands on skills such as Machining.

Machinists require more training than most of the other careers listed and have one of the highest paying jobs available. Today’s manufacturers operate in high tech facilities, unlike the factories of yesteryear.