How the Intersection of Technology and Education Can Attract Youth to Manufacturing

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How the Intersection of Technology and Education Can Attract Youth to Manufacturing

A while back I read some somewhat disheartening, although hardly surprising, statistics. It was Deloitte’s annual Public Viewpoint on Manufacturing. The study found that Americans find manufacturing to be a vital piece of our economy with 70 percent of respondents saying it’s a key economic driver. However, only 17 percent said that they would consider working in a manufacturing career or encourage their children to do so. Evidently we value manufacturing, as long as neither us nor our kids have to work in it.

As the Baby Boomer generation retires, the general disinterest around manufacturing will be a major issue that we’re forced to confront. I recently wrote an article for Software Advice, a research firm that reviews manufacturing erp software, where I proposed that making manufacturing cool again would be a crucial first step to overcoming lack of interest in a manufacturing career. In my view, there are three main things that we can do to make manufacturing cool again. In a technology-drive world, I think coupling technology and education in a fun environment will be critical to reconnecting youth to manufacturing.

1. Introduce Manufacturing in a Fun Setting

I never went to a summer camp as a kid, but I worked at one as a teenager. For counselor and camper alike, it’s a life-changing experience. You learn, grow, and engage in activities together. It’s is a perfect setting to introduce manufacturing principles to young people.

My favorite example of this is Gadget Camp. At this camp, kids are required to build a product from concept to creation, using CAD technology. This introduces young people to manufacturing in an entirely different way than the career is usually presented.

2. Bring Back Technical Education

Technical education, such as shop class, used to be a major part of most high school curricula. From my understanding, most male students were required to take at least one technical training course. Getting this kind of training didn’t mean that students were pigeon-holed into that career, but it let them know that it was an option. I think that technical training would help more youth become familiar with building with their hands. By extension, they’d be more likely to consider a manufacturing career.

3. Turn Manufacturing Training into a Game

We are one of the first generations that grew up hyper-connected. We have instant access to the Internet and a wealth of entertaining video games. Many young people strongly prefer playing a video game on the couch to learning about, let’s say, lean manufacturing principles.

One way to get over this barrier is to turn manufacturing education and training into a game itself. One of the most interesting examples that I’ve seen is Plantville, which Siemens recently released. It’s like Farmville with manufacturing principles and technologies built in.

This also where Studica is an impressive and instructive example as well. Studica’s AutoCAD software for students provides a challenging and fun environment for students to learn how to design products for production. It’s really this kind of connection that I think the youth is missing from the world of manufacturing.

With a whole generation growing up in a world of Likes, Tweets, pings and blog posts, connecting young people to technology that actually leads to value production will be crucial. Hopefully the intersection of software and education can deliver on it’s promise to create an active and engaged techno-savvy generation.

These are but a few ways that I think we can get young people to consider manufacturing as a career once more. What do you think it will take? Leave me a message on my blog at: How Manufacturing Can Attract Young Talent Again. Alternatively, you can ping me@ERPAdvice.

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