The skilled worker shortage among manufacturers remains a seemingly inexorable problem. Trying to keep their industry ahead of the curve, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Association for Iron and Steel Technology Foundation (AIST Foundation) have created the Ferrous Metallurgy Education Today (FeMET) initiative.
"The steel industry needs to cultivate the next generation of skilled metallurgists who will create the innovative products that will strengthen steel's position as the material of choice for thousands of industrial and consumer applications," says AIST Executive Director Ron Ashburn. "This program brings us one step closer to that goal."
FeMET has three strategies: compel more students to choose metallurgy or materials science as their field of study; recruit more of such graduates into the steel industry; and to increase the number of educators knowledgeable about steel at North American universities. Its tools will be scholarships and summer internships for college juniors and seniors, a design grant program, a curriculum-development program and a steel industry/university advisory roundtable.
Scholarship applications are due by April 18, and design-grant competition applications are due by May 2. For more information go to www.steel.org
