New Online Resource Connects Students to Modern Manufacturing Careers
Discovery Education and Alcoa Foundation are excited to introduce Manufacture Your Future, a new, online destination designed to inspire students in grades 6-12 to take the first step towards exploring and pursuing today's modern manufacturing careers through STEM-based exploration.
Manufacture Your Future's comprehensive, standards-based, cross-curricular lesson plans range from a look at the history of manufacturing to STEM-based interactives on robotics, and are designed to stimulate insightful conversations with students around potential manufacturing careers. Manufacture Your Future's resources provide insights into the science behind the manufacturing design process with an inside look during a Virtual Field Trip, and a Career Guide and Family Discussion Starters extend the conversation beyond the classroom, highlighting the crucial role that manufacturing plays in day-to-day life. Check out all the free resources here - www.manufactureyourfuture.com
PADT Hosts the Stratasys J750 Full-Color 3D Printer
Earlier this week, PADT hosted a fun, hands-on event at St. Patrick's Brewing in Littleton - right down the street from PADT’s Colorado Office. While those in attendance certainly enjoyed the time to share in conversations with their friends, peers, and clients, the real attention during the event was on the newly unveiled Stratasys J750 Full Color 3D Printer. This newly developed technology is the world's first full-color, multi-material 3D printer.
Aerospace engineers, medical manufacturers, and even consumer product designers might use this powerful new tool for creative and rapid prototyping.
“It’s really revolutionary... We can replicate not just the look, but the feel and the texture of almost anything.”
It's exciting to see another major manufacturing breakthrough from such an innovative company as Stratasys. And the fact that PADT experts were there to showcase and explain the new technology made it all the more real for people to imagine the possibilities.
Connect & Collaborate with the COBRT joined PADT at the Full-Color 3D Printer Road Show event to share this new technology (and future technology) with our radio listeners. Just in case you missed it, you can listen to the full podcast here.
Dream It. Do It. Colorado
Today’s manufacturing is about advanced technologies, state of the art facilities, and fast paced work environments. But most of all, manufacturing is about those people who like to see the product of a hard day’s work. However, this is not the impression of manufacturing that is held by many Americans today.
Only 35 percent of parents say they would encourage their children to pursue careers in manufacturing, despite the advanced skills and high pay that are characteristic of work in today’s advanced manufacturing industry. This is due to a perception of manufacturing that existed a generation ago but does not represent the current reality of the industry.
To put an end to this misperception, The Manufacturing Institute launched the Dream It. Do It. network in 2005. Dream It. Do It. works to change the perception of the industry and inspire next-generation workers to pursue manufacturing careers. Members of the Dream It. Do It. program gain access to national support and resources to aid their pro-manufacturing efforts and join a network of industry leaders that implement activities to meet local, regional and statewide workforce needs.
The initiative offers local manufacturers, schools, community-based organizations and other stakeholders the opportunity to partner with a respected national platform to promote manufacturing as a top tier career choice in the United States. Dream It. Do It. promotes manufacturing to three distinct target markets: student, parents and educators.
In 2015, the network successfully engaged:
- 426,000 students
- 76,000 influencers (parents and educators)
- 8,600 manufacturers