College & University Faculty Team Concludes Series of Recommendations Addressing Competencies and Workforce Strategies for New Lightweighting Technologies
Higher education and industry need to work together to adapt current curricula to reflect the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in work environments deploying new lightweighting technologies, materials and processes according to a fourth and final report from LIFT’s Expert Educator Team. Titled Aligning Technology and Talent Development, the final report marks the conclusion of a 2-year initiative to lead the conversation on the relationships between talent, workforce and technology development.
As technology advances, educational programs must be designed to integrate new workforce needs into their curricula. The report includes in-depth competency mapping to help technical and engineering students excel in industry environments. The report focuses on 11 critical lightweight manufacturing technologies under development at LIFT, a Manufacturing USA institute.
The Expert Educator Team includes specialists in materials science, engineering disciplines, and education and workforce preparation, and was assembled by LIFT – Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, and supported by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS).
“From our Institute’s founding, the LIFT leadership committed to align talent and technology development, and we established the [team] to bring both instructional design and strategy expertise,” said Emily DeRocco, education and workforce development vice president, LIFT. “In addition to making curriculum development more agile, this initiative promotes work-and-learn strategies, creates opportunities for engineers and technicians to learn together, delivers education and training virtually, and focuses on teacher and faculty development.”
“APLU has long been committed to helping its member universities improve manufacturing talent and workforce competitiveness. The Expert Educator Team’s final report will be an invaluable resource for engineering and manufacturing educators to respond to technological innovation and prepare their students for workplaces of tomorrow,” said Sheila Martin, vice president for economic development and community engagement, APLU. “APLU looks forward to continuing to work with our partners and members on talent and workforce development issues.”