INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP TO HELP TRANSFORM LIBERAL ARTS GRADUATES TO ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CAREERS

摘要

It is well recognized that manufacturing is making a comeback to the US, from the outsourcing that took place between 1980-2010. The need for advanced manufacturing careers is also well documented by many manufacturing organizations, substantiated by the report entitled "A National Strategic Plan for Advanced Manufacturing" which was released by the Executive Office of the President National Science and Technology Council's in February 2012. The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) points out that at the height of the recession, 32% of manufacturers reported that they had jobs unfilled because they could not find people with requisite skills. It is also well documented that liberal arts (BA) graduates suffer from mal-employment problems; they are either underemployed or unemployed. To solve this problem, this paper describes an innovative solution of transforming BA graduates to take on advanced manufacturing positions to meet the skilled workforce needs and fill these positions. This paper briefly describes the program, but focuses mainly on one aspect of it: industry partnerships. We describe the importance of industry partners to the proposed solution. We also discuss industry needs.