The Future of Advanced Manufacturing Hinges on an Increasingly Educated Workforce

As advanced manufacturing jobs become more complex, so too are educational and knowledge-based requirements for the workforce.

GettyImages-457978685-compressorWith advanced manufacturing, blue collar jobs continue to give way to automation, while white collar and STEM jobs grow to support the new technologies. The net result is, the entire future of advanced manufacturing hinges on having a highly educated workforce, according to a new study by the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.

The report, “Advanced Manufacturing in the United States: The Shift Toward Diversified Industries and an Educated Workforce,” examined 35 manufacturing sectors identified by the Brookings Institution and evaluated the connection between the growth of educational attainment and the development of advanced manufacturing. Employment in the sectors was broken up into three occupational groups: STEM, white-collar, and blue-collar occupations. The study noted the changes in share of employment in advanced manufacturing compared with the share of adult population with associate’s degrees or higher.

“We find that changes in education are positively related to changes in share of advanced manufacturing sector employment and establishments,” said the report authors. “This is yet another clear piece of evidence pointing to the important role that an educated workforce places in long-term prospects for advanced manufacturing.”

“As automated technologies continued to replace blue collar workers, there are increasing opportunities for engineers, architects, designers and managers.”

Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research, told Plant Services that college graduates are leading job growth in the manufacturing sector. Hicks says that as automated technologies continued to replace blue collar workers, there are increasing opportunities for engineers, architects, designers and managers. “We’re getting people moving off the floor. … They’re watching displays, doing laser tests and quality-control analysis,” Hicks said.

Manufacturers not only will need to fill welders’ and machinists’ positions, but also those of engineers and IT technicians. Val Zanichuk, president of Graphicast in Jaffrey, NH, told the New Hampshire Business Review that there’s a growing shortage of educated workers needed to fill these roles. He said that as the technology advances, so too does the educational requirements, and getting the public’s support in advancing such education can help build the industry.

“Over time, the amount of technology on the floor changes…as companies advance, it requires skills that are evolving. You have to evolve with those changes,” he said.

 


MORE LIKE THIS

  • Get the CEO Briefing

    Sign up today to get weekly access to the latest issues affecting CEOs in every industry
  • upcoming events

    Roundtable

    Strategic Planning Workshop

    1:00 - 5:00 pm

    Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process

    Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:

    1. Lack of systematic approach (70%)
    2. Laundry lists without prioritization (68%)
    3. Decisions based on personalities rather than facts and information (65%)

     

    Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns.  They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning.  Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process.  This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented.  If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form.  The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.

    New York, NY: ​​​Chief Executive's Corporate Citizenship Awards 2017

    Women in Leadership Seminar and Peer Discussion

    2:00 - 5:00 pm

    Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations. 

    Limited space available.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $495 will be added to your total.

    Golf Outing

    10:30 - 5:00 pm
    General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
    Sponsored by UBS

    General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.

    The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.

    To sign up, select this option in your registration form. Additional fee of $295 will be added to your total.