Manufacturing Talent Development Innovation Laboratory: A Workshop for Manufacturing USA Institute Workforce Development Stakeholders

The U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have partnered with the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a technical assistance program to assist the Manufacturing USA Institutes to transform their education and workforce development (EWD) programs by implementing the best models of career and technical education (CTE). Innovative CTE models will assure the development of a workforce necessary to advance manufacturing in the United States. This proposal seeks support to organize the "Innovation Laboratory with Regional Partners," that will center on strategic planning for the eight Manufacturing USA institutes that have opted to join the "Trailblazers" group-a group that is actively seeking to establish innovative CTE pathways in a selected region of the country. The proposed forum will bring together the EWD directors from the Trailblazer institutes, along with their regional partners from colleges, schools, manufacturing firms and organizations, and including government leaders, workforce-investment leaders, and others. In addition to these region-specific teams, other critical partners will attend from federal, state, and local governments, along with leaders from significant organizations from the civic sector that play a leading role in economic development. The University of Kentucky will collaborate with MxD Manufacturing Institute to organize this two-day workshop. The workshop will involve experts from and engage the Department of Education, NSF, and the DoD. Intellectual Merit: The availability of domestic manufacturing talent is one of the most important elements to ensure U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. While there are some existing programs for career and technical education, major shortages exist in many skilled technical fields. Innovative methods that change the current educational pathways are necessary to meet these needs. This workshop will undertake a critical examination of existing EWD programs used by the manufacturing USA institutes to identify novel approaches for competency-based and industry-driven workforce development. Results of the proposed innovation laboratory workshop will lead to a model for career and technical education and workforce development for the manufacturing USA institutes. Broader Impacts: This workshop will provide a dedicated forum for manufacturing USA institutes EWD leadership, their key stakeholders as well as nationally recognized EWD experts to interact and engage in extensive dialogue to critically examine current practices used for EWD by the manufacturing USA institutes. In addition to enabling the development of a roadmap and model for career and technical education in advanced manufacturing, the workshop will enable participants to learn best practices and the variety of EWD strategies used by different institutes. This knowledge will also increase the stakeholders’ ability to further advance their own career and technical education initiatives. The workshop can also enable institutes to identify opportunities for new collaborations and partnerships for better coordinated EWD to enhance U.S. manufacturing industry competitiveness.