Happy Holidays from FLATE |
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Unraveling Florida Credentials & Certificates |
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Talent shortages in the U.S. have more than tripled in the last ten years, with 69% of employers struggling to fill positions, up from just 14% in 2010. As organizations across all sectors transform, the top hardest to fill roles in the U.S. are changing fast with technology skills being now the second hardest to find.
Essential technical skills can be attained in a short and efficient way by educating and training the next generation of skilled high-tech workers via industry recognized certification and stackable certificates. Learn about Florida's available manufacturing credentials and the differences between them, including industry certifications, college credit certificates and career certificates.
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PathTech LISTEN Releases Research Briefs |
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FLATE has partnered with PathTech for more than 10 years of research on educational and employment pathways into advanced technology degree programs and careers. Beginning with PathTech Tampa Bay (2011-2015) which led to PathTech LIFE (2015-2019) and now the current project -- PathTech LISTEN (2018-2022).
As the need for a skilled technology workforce continues to grow, understanding pathways to and from technician education programs and the technology workforce is vital to sustain workforce development, improve student/worker life chances and stabilize local economies. Preliminary analysis from the PathTech LISTEN research team is being released through a series of one-page Research Briefs. The first set, which includes preliminary findings from both Wave 1 and Wave 2 interviews, are available now through the PathTech website:
- Perspectives from the Field: Industry Pilot Survey Results
- Preliminary Results: Technical Programs Lead to STEM Careers
- Wave 1 Preliminary Findings Yield Several Interesting Themes
- Work-Based Learning in Technician Programs
- Job Search Pathways
- Developing Strategies for Tracking Community College Alumni
- Covid-19 Pandemic Impact on LISTEN Participants
- Perspectives from the Field: Wave 2 Vignettes
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Technology Student Association (TSA) Leadership |
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The Technology Student Association (TSA) is a national career and technical student organization (CTSO), supported by the Department of Education, with focus on the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career cluster. The organization’s mission is to “enhance personal development, leadership, and career opportunities” in those areas. This is accomplished both in and out of schools with a mix of curriculum resources, competitions, and other programs. Something unique about TSA is their focus on supporting teachers as well as the student members.
It is part of FLATE's mission and goals to support students and educators to be the best in their advanced technology careers. Students not only develop leadership qualities through TSA, but technical skills, professionalism, and teamwork skills as demonstrated in the local, regional, state national and international competitions. To learn more about student organizations visit http://fl-ate.org/programs/student-organizations/.
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Nominations Open until December 17th for 2022 Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Awards |
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Educators can nominate their manufacturing partners for these prestigious awards. All manufacturers with production facilities in Florida, not having won the Gold Level award in 2020 or 2021, are eligible to participate. Any individual or organization can nominate a Florida company by December 17, 2021.
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WiSTEM2D in Space with NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams December 14th - 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM EST
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This unique, virtual STEM event for elementary, middle and high school students is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Design, the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D program and Luna Design & Innovation. Sunita Williams is a Naval Test Pilot and NASA Astronaut. She has spent 322 hours in space as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 32, was Commander of the Space Station for Expedition 33, and has completed 7 space walks, Sunita will share her stories about life as an Astronaut. She will talk about her experiences in the skies and in outer space, and how space can benefit life on Earth. There will be discussion and Q&A. Spots are limited. Click below to register through Zoom.
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FCPN Annual Symposium - January 12-14, 2022 |
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Florida Career Pathways Network (FCPN) is excited to host the FCPN Annual Symposium on January 12-14, 2022, at Hutchinson Shores Resort & Spa in Stuart, Florida. FCPN is a membership organization for educators, employers and workforce development partners involved in the advancement of Career Pathways, Career & Technical Education and other related education reform initiatives. |
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17th Annual FEEC Conference
University of Central Florida - February 25, 2022
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Call for Presenters: workshop proposals for the 2022 FEEC will be accepted now through December 15th.
The Center for Initiatives in STEM, in conjunction with their industry partners, will hold the 2022 Florida Engineering Education Conference (FEEC) on Friday, February 25, 2022. K-12 STEM teachers, administrators, practicing engineers and other (informal) educators from across Florida involved in and/or interested in learning more about STEM education are invited to attend. Registration opens in December and early bird registration will be available until January 31st.
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Congratulations to Krystle Wilson!
FloridaMakes First IMT Apprentice Graduates
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FloridaMakes is happy to announce that Krystle Wilson is the first person to graduate from the FloridaMakes Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Apprenticeship Program. The goal of the IMT Apprenticeship Program, which began in April 2020, is to advance entry-level skills for new and existing employees who work in industrial manufacturing.
A single parent, Krystle Wilson was able to complete the program partly due to its flexibility. She received her IMT certification from the State of Florida and attained a national Certified Production Technician certificate by dedicating evening hours at home to take the required courses. "The IMT Apprenticeship Program is amazing," said Krystle. "It will teach you many different things. And it's flexible and convenient." For her continued hard work and increased skills, Krystle was recently promoted to CNC Machinist II with a substantial raise to go with her new title.
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Polk State Connects High Schoolers with Manufacturers to Learn about Careers and Training |
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Polk State College recently hosted its annual Manufacturing Day for high school students across Polk County to learn about the abundance of career opportunities in the industry as well as the pathways to achieving them through training at Polk State. More than 400 students across 16 schools participated in the virtual event in October with representatives from nine local manufacturers.
Additionally, students had the opportunity to hear from representatives with the Florida Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education Division and Polk State’s workforce training programs. “Careers in manufacturing are diverse in the Polk County region and manufacturers are hiring,” Patti Gander with the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Alliance of Mid Florida shared with the students. “From high school diplomas all the way up to bachelor’s degree… from entry-level to working your way up to running a facility… manufacturing provides rewarding careers that pay well, and Polk State College has several programs to get you there.”
This year’s Manufacturing Day event was recorded and is available here. Teachers and school counselors are encouraged to use the website as a career exploration resource to promote Polk County manufacturing and supply chain opportunities. “Our goal is to spark interest in high-demand, high-paying jobs and careers and the Polk State degree and workforce certification programs that can put students on paths to futures in the growing manufacturing and supply chain industries,” Polk State Career Pathways Coordinator Christopher Yannes said.
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Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work Podcasts
3 Years of Expertise & Insights
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In each podcast episode, host Mike Lesiecki interviews influential leaders from education and industry as they inform listeners about trends impacting the future of work. With guests from companies such as Amazon, Intel, UPS, and Universal Robotics, these conversations give us a deeper understanding of how we anticipate the coming changes and their strategies for responding and innovating in their fields.
For a quick read or review, each episode has a transcript as well as show notes with useful links to instructional tools, webpages referenced in the interviews, information about relevant organizations, and other resources that could be easily adapted for the classroom or professional development.
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Virtual Workshop with Stipend & VR Headset: Manufacturing Education Using Virtual Environment Resources |
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This is an NSF-funded virtual workshop on Digital Manufacturing (DM) Instruction using Virtual Reality (VR) technology. The workshop will cover VR-based digital manufacturing instruction practices. This workshop is directed toward community college instructors and high-school teachers interested in digital manufacturing instruction using virtual reality tools and techniques. Participants will receive a stipend of $600 and a high-tech VR headset.
Each participant is expected to commit to participating in a one-hour introductory session on January 10, 2022, and a one-hour closing session on January 14, 2022, watch the YouTube lecture modules during the week, complete a post-workshop evaluation, and sign a photo release. Application deadline is December 10, 2021. The number of participants is limited to 30. Successful applicants will be announced mid-December.
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10-week Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program at Utah State University |
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The Department of Engineering Education at Utah State University will hold a ten-week summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program starting May 16, 2022, to provide undergraduate students (in either 4-year or 2-year schools) in a STEM discipline with intensive experience in engineering education research, such as how learners’ experience, background, and perception play a role when they learn engineering knowledge and skills.
Each REU student will receive up to $8,450, including 1) a stipend of $6,000, 2) a housing and meal allowance of $1,700, and 3) up to $750 for a round-trip airfare ticket to travel between their distant location and USU. Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the time the program starts on May 16, 2022, must be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States, must be an undergraduate student who will not graduate before September 1, 2022 (in either 4-year or 2-year schools) with a good academic standing in a professional undergraduate program in science, technology (including engineering technology), engineering, or mathematics. Apply by March 7, 2022.
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The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Scholarships (2022-23) for Students |
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The ASME Foundation and ASME Auxiliary have over 80 scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students studying mechanical engineering and closely related ME discipline. The Application is NOW OPEN. Students apply for all scholarships with one application and can be awarded more than one scholarship. Scholarship recipients are selected based on scholastic ability, character, integrity, leadership, and potential contribution to the mechanical engineering profession.
Students must be:
· An ASME student member
· Be a full-time student enrolled at an ABET accredited institution
· And have a financial need
Undergraduate deadline is February 17, 2022. The graduate deadline is March 3, 2022. And high school seniors need to apply by March 15th.
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Free Curriculum Pilot: Multi-Level Robotics Courses
Honorarium Offer to First 25 Instructors to Register
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The Clemson University Center for Workforce Development has developed a four-track robotics digital learning package to deploy to high school, 2-year and 4-year partners. Their High School, Associate, Bachelor and Masters-level robotics curricula are now ready for free piloting through Fall 2022. The first 25 instructors to register for the pilot with 10 students or more will receive an honorarium. Instructor and student perspectives in the form of survey responses will be required.
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Mentor Up: Advanced Technological Education Grant Mentoring for Two-Year Colleges |
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Participants in this workshop will learn about the NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program and how to most effectively apply for grant funding.
- When: June 15, 16, and 17, 2022
- Location: Virtual Zoom
- Eligibility: Full-time STEM discipline faculty involved in technician education programs from two-year colleges. Two faculty per college are eligible for stipends.
- Stipends and Support: Each faculty participant will be eligible for a $500 stipend at the completion of the virtual workshop. An additional stipend of $250 will be available upon submission of an ATE proposal in the October 2022 competition.
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New Research on The Global Chase for Talent
Identifies Key Partners to Address Workforce Shortages
Including Community Colleges/Technical Schools
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New research from the Site Selectors Guild focuses on how global talent shortages are impacting corporate location decisions and communities. The findings reveal 41% of Guild members believe skills shortages are the new normal, and manufacturing and transportation/warehousing will be the industries hit the hardest.
Guild members also name six states they believe are implementing successful talent attraction and retention strategies and share mixed opinions on incentive programs aimed at luring talent rather than companies. Economic developers also shared examples of the types of partners they are most collaborating with to help address local workforce shortages (pictured above). Community Colleges/Technical Schools named by 79% of guild members, tied with local workforce development agencies.
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Upcoming FANUC Robotics Trainings
at the College of Central Florida
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The College of Central Florida’s Corporate College is offering FANUC courses in 2022: HandlingTool Operations and Programming and 2D iRVision Operation and Programming. These courses will be held in-person, not virtually, and will take place on the Ocala Campus of the College of Central Florida.
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FANUC HandlingTool Operations and Programming (32 hours) - $1,936 per participant January 24-27, 2022 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The deadline to register is January 7, 2022.
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FANUC 2D iRVision Operation and Programming (24 hours) - $1,935 per participant March 14-16, 2022 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The deadline to register is February 25, 2022.
For questions, please contact Loren at 352-873-5855 or carrl@cf.edu.
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Microbusinesses Performed $4.5 Billion of R&D
in the United States in 2018
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Businesses with one to nine domestic employees (termed here as microbusinesses) spent $6.5 billion on research and development costs in the United States of which $4.5 billion was R&D performed by the microbusinesses themselves. This amount is in addition to the $441 billion spent on domestic R&D performance in 2018 by businesses with 10 or more employees. Data for this InfoBrief comes from the 2019 Annual Business Survey (ABS) (data year 2018), developed and cosponsored by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation and by the Census Bureau. The ABS is the primary source of information on R&D expenditures for microbusinesses.
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