Promoting Careers In Manufacturing

Modern Machine Shop, August, 2001

The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) Manufacturing Industries Career Alliance has awarded AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology a grant to promote manufacturing career activities to young people. AMT was chosen because proposed activities support the goals of NAM's school-to-career initiative: promote manufacturing career opportunities to young people, address declining participation in training and preparation, and improve the quality and availability of training and the work-readiness of students.

AMT's $5,000 grant will be used in conjunction with the IMTS Student Summit 2002, in its third year, to develop a plan to encourage teachers to bring students to the IMTS, September 4-11, 2002, at Chicago's McCormick Place. AMT will focus on secondary and post-secondary math and science teachers. Emphasis will be on presentations at the show, printed materials promoting the IMTS 2002 Student Summit and displays around the show stressing the value of math and science to careers in manufacturing technology.

The IMTS Student Summit is where teachers, administrators and students from junior high through college graduate level get a hands-on look at a variety of rewarding job and career opportunities in the hightech manufacturing industry. They will see the latest manufacturing products, services and processes of more than 1,400 exhibitors.

The majority of teachers responding to a survey from the IMTS 2000 Student Summit indicated that students acquired a greater understanding of the industry and experienced a positive change in their perceptions of careers in manufacturing technology. More than 4,500 students from some 517 high schools, post-secondary technical schools and colleges across the United States attended the IMTS 2000 Student Summit.

The program demonstrates what's hard to depict in the classroom--a close-up view of the very latest machine tools and related technology being offered--and offers the opportunity to meet experts in the field who are demonstrating this technology. Students found that opportunities in manufacturing technology are varied and plentiful; that beginning precision machinists and toolmakers command impressive salaries; and that high-tech, computer-driven, "clean-room" environments typify today's high-tech manufacturing environment.