Educational Resources
Manufacturers are looking to increase the number of women in their ranks. One of the biggest pushes is to encourage girls as early as middle school to understand the nature of the work and to see all the disciplines that make up a manufacturing enterprise.
Organizations are placing their funds in programs in a variety of programs at all levels of education. Here are some of the programs available today. If you have information on other programs please contact emedia Editor Adrienne
Selko at aselko@industryweek.com.
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers
In February 2007, Last month the SME announced it placed $900,000 in its Engineering Education Foundation. One of the key components of this program is a technology camp, called STEPS (Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Summer) aimed at high school students.
Funding in 2007 will support STEPS Academies in 13 states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
The money will also go towards a middle school curriculum called Project Lead the Way's (PLTW) "Gateway to Technology."
The SME Education Foundation programs have contributed more than $3 million over the past 11 years for a variety of youth programming.
National Association Of Manufacturers
NAM has a national program at helping young adults "find careers that they can be passionate about in one of manufacturing's many exciting sectors." The program called Dream It. Do It will be featured on CNN Headline News repeatedly in early 2007. To view the five-minute segment airing on the weekly, half-hour educational show, "Pulse on America," click here.
The show will also air once nationally on Tech TV Cable available in 50 million households.
The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA) Foundation
This organization provides scholarship for college- or trade school-bound high school seniors who seek careers in manufacturing. Trade school scholarship applications are accepted year-round and are determined on a quarterly basis.
For its membership, scholarships are available for individuals who are members of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), Tube and Pipe Association, International (TPA) or the Outside Processors Council (OPC); the employee of a member company; or the child of a member or member company's employee.
College scholarships for members are $5,000 per school year and college scholarships for non-members are $2,500 per school year. Trade school scholarships up to $2,000 per school year require membership. Students may apply for membership at the time of application.
For more information about the scholarships available, students should call (815) 381-1338 or visit www.fma-foundation.org/Scholarships.cfm.
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