Manufacturing is an exciting and lucrative career opportunity that can help address the massive skills gap that threatens to leave two million U.S. manufacturing jobs unfilled(opens in new window) within the next decade. In Pittsburgh and around the country, many initiatives aim to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in manufacturing.

Carnegie Mellon University's Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI) joined forces with its partners, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute (ARM) and Catalyst Connection, as well as the University of Pittsburgh, to give students a firsthand look at modern manufacturing.

"In addition to conducting advanced manufacturing research and educating manufacturing innovators and leaders, MFI's involvement in events like Manufacturing Day gives us an opportunity to work with our many community partners to promote manufacturing as a career to young people who may not be aware of the opportunities that exist in modern-day manufacturing," said Gary Fedder(opens in new window), the Howard M. Wilkoff Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering(opens in new window) and the faculty director of the MFI.

The students were given a tour of Mill 19, the former location of the Pittsburgh region's most productive steel mills. The sprawling facility has been transformed into a discovery workspace where Carnegie Mellon researchers conduct some of the most advanced manufacturing research in the U.S. Its laboratories, workshops and workspaces, where students saw demonstrations of manufacturing robots and industrial 3D-printing equipment, resemble modern manufacturing facilities.

Joe Herzing, a counselor at Sto-Rox High School, brought eight students whose career exploration profiles indicated they had an interest in manufacturing-related careers.

"This is absolutely what we need to do. Kids need to see these manufacturing career pathways," said Herzing, who pointed out that these students will not only remember their experience, they also will talk about what they saw and share photos on social media.

In addition to the Mill 19 tours, students met representatives from local schools and organizations who are all a part of the larger effort to promote manufacturing careers.

The ARM Institute(opens in new window), which originated in 2017 when Carnegie Mellon won the bid to create a robotics-focused Manufacturing USA Institute, works to strengthen U.S. manufacturing through innovations in advanced manufacturing technology, particularly robotics and artificial intelligence. As a part of their effort to prepare the workforce to work alongside these technologies, ARM created roboticscareers.org(opens in new window), an online database that connects education seekers and manufacturers with thousands of vetted training programs.

Catalyst Connection(opens in new window), which shares space with ARM and MFI at Mill 19, is a private not-for-profit organization that provides consulting and training services to small manufacturers in southwestern Pennsylvania. They offer numerous workforce development programs, including the Making Your Future(opens in new window) program, which provides career counseling and job development services in disadvantaged communities, and the Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship(opens in new window) program, which provides production workers with training for advanced manufacturing jobs.

The Community College of Allegheny County was on hand to promote programs such as their Mechatronics Program, which teaches the technical skills needed to work with industrial robots, programmable logic controllers and other automated equipment.

Sarah Rose, who manages the Center for Innovation and Outreach at Robert Morris University (RMU), was also there to share information and encouragement. She is enthusiastic about the potential of programs like Manufacturing Day to expose students to rewarding career opportunities and she said that RMU's programs designed to upskill workers have very high placement rates.

"The most beautiful scenario would be for these young people to find their way into these rewarding careers," Rose said.