FloridaMakes Announces the 14th Annual FLATE
Manufacturing Education Excellence Awards
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This is the fourteenth year that FLATE has recognized educators at the secondary and postsecondary level and industry partners for their outstanding contributions to promote manufacturing education across Florida. “The Awards represent FLATE’s effort to showcase and recognize the contributions of educators and industries in advancing technician education on a regional and statewide level” said Executive Director of FLATE, Marilyn Barger, Ph.D.
Awardees were selected from a distinguished pool of nominations submitted from across the state and were judged by an independent Awards Judging Committee. "FloridaMakes is proud of the 2021 FLATE Awardees for their work in manufacturing education in Florida," said Kevin Carr, FloridaMakes CEO. "It is important to continuously build our pipeline of youth entering the manufacturing industry and recognizing excellence in manufacturing education is one way we can do this.” The 2021 Awardees come from across the state and have exhibited exemplary work promoting manufacturing education and career pathways.
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Department of Defense Developing a National Model
for Manufacturing Technician Education:
Reviews FLATE for Best Practices
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Massachusetts’ Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC) was recently awarded a $3.2 million grant (MassBridge) from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Manufacturing Technology Program (DoD ManTech) to develop and test a manufacturing technician training program and career pathway model for manufacturing technicians. The MassBridge program will boost training opportunities for technicians to better meet the workforce needs of employers, creating an integrated, statewide program to build connections from existing technician training programs to the skillsets that meet the demands of Massachusetts’s manufacturing sector.
After months researching successful technician education models and career pathways, MassBridge reached out to existing programs to learn more. FLATE, the Florida Advanced Technological Education Center, part of the FloridaMakes Network was one of three invited to share their success stories, answer questions, and offer advice to Massachusetts Community Colleges involved in the MassBridge project.
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Lake-Sumter State College to Launch
Mechatronics College Credit Certificate
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Lake-Sumter State College (LSSC) will be offering a college credit certificate in Mechatronics starting Fall 2021. This certificate will prepare students for immediate employment and career advancement in companies that manufacture, service, sell, design, or support electro-mechanical systems that control machinery, automation, and/or processes. Students will be exposed to leading-edge technologies to give them the skills needed to be highly competitive in the workforce and prepared with the necessary foundational skills sought after by industry leaders today and for the future.
“One of the key components that makes our program unique is the fact that we focus not only on the college certificate itself, but we also focus on industry certifications,” said Alberto Luma, Program Manager of Engineering Technology at LSSC, “We’re very excited to be offering this new certificate in Mechatronics. Any type of student can be extremely successful in this program.”
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Able Trust Announces the Winners of their 2021
High School High Tech - Project Venture Competition
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The High School High Tech (HSHT) program under the Able Trust works with students with disabilities (SWD) in most school districts across the state. A program coordinator provides special resources and guidance to help students in the program become workplace ready. The goal of the Project Venture competition is to put students into a situation where they are developing real-world applicable workplace skills, including working in groups, delegating, timelines, written communications, problem solving, and “Big Picture” thinking.
Recently, HSHT hosted a virtual finalist competition for Project Venture. East Ridge High School in Lake County took the top prize with their “Love the Launch” condiment launcher!
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The 2021 FLATE Manufacturing Education Awards will be celebrated during the Talent Development Segment of the MakeMore Manufacturing Summit, taking place on July 27 and 28. Announcement for this event is below.
Sponsorship opportunities available!
In their 14th year, the Awards are geared to recognize secondary and post-secondary educators, and industry professionals for their outstanding contributions to promote and support technology education and careers awareness in manufacturing.
Your financial contribution will help cover the costs for the Awards ceremony, the winners' trophies, as well as their participation in the Florida Association for Career & Technical Education Annual Conference (FACTE) and the MakeMore Manufacturing Summit.
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For more information about the Awards click here.
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Thank you to our sponsors: |
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Register for the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit |
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Join FLATE at the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit for important discussions on the future of manufacturing in Florida! Hosted in partnership with Associated Industries of Florida, CareerSource Florida, Inc, Enterprise Florida, the Florida Chamber, and FloridaMakes, the Summit will help build a roadmap to strengthen and advance Florida’s economy through innovation, talent development, and leveraging our resources to accelerate the productivity and technological performance of the manufacturing sector.
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For the FLATE discount, use promo code: FLATE |
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The winners of the 2021 Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence (SMBE) Awards will be announced during the Business Growth Segment of the MakeMore Manufacturing Summit on June 22 and 23
The Florida Sterling Council and FloridaMakes announced the 20 manufacturing companies who have been named as finalists earlier this month. Educators should reach out to the outstanding companies in your regions. The winners will be chosen from among the finalists:
- BAE Systems Jacksonville Ship Repair, Jacksonville
- CAE Healthcare, Inc., Sarasota
- Cavaform International, LLC, St. Petersburg
- CMC Steel Florida, Jacksonville
- Dupuy Silo Facility, Jacksonville
- Easy Foods Inc., Kissimmee
- Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, NAS Jacksonville
- Kira Labs Inc., Pompano Beach
- Lockheed Martin Aerostructures, Pinellas Park
- Made in Space, Inc., Jacksonville
- MAG Aerospace – Technology Integration and Support Center, Fort Walton Beach
- Pierce Manufacturing -Bradenton Facility, Bradenton
- Q’Straint, Oakland Park
- RND Automation & Engineering, Lakewood Ranch
- Rubin Iron Works, LLC, Jacksonville
- Slice Engineering, LLC, Gainesville
- Stellar Energy Americas, Jacksonville
- Team Solutions Dental, Sanford
- Trane -Lynn Haven, Panama City
- Veethree Electronics, Bradenton
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Fall 2021 ET Forum registration opening in August. |
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FACTE 55th Annual Conference & Trade Show |
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Join FLATE at the 2021 Florida Association for Career and Technical Education-FACTE 55th Annual Conference and Trade Show, hosted at the SeaWorld Renaissance in Orlando, Florida, on July 19 - 21.
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Summer Teachers’ Virtual Workshop
July 12 - 15, 2021
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This opportunity from the Connecticut College of Technology and Center for Next Generation Manufacturing is for community college faculty and high school teachers to engage in problem-based learning exercises. This workshop is made possible through National Science Foundation funding. Applications are due June 17.
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HI-TEC Virtual Conference
Abstracts now being accepted for asynchronous presentations
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Congratulations to Sam Ajlani! |
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Sam Ajlani was recently awarded the “Gabor Award” from the College of Central Florida at the May 7th Employee Service and Recognition event. This award recognizes outstanding faculty and staff contributions to the College of Central Florida students, the college and the community for service during the past year and honors three recipients whose peers recognized them as truly outstanding. Sam is an Associate Professor of Engineering Technology at the College of Central Florida and serves as the co-chair of the statewide Florida Forum for Engineering Technology (ET Forum), the bi-annual Forum for ET faculty and education stakeholders.
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Welcoming Teresa Potter to FLATE at Florida Makes! |
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Joining the FLATE team as the new Community Engagement Manager, Teresa has nearly two decades of experience working in outreach and marketing. Most recently with PathTech, a USF research team studying educational and employment pathways into advanced technology degree programs and careers, her expertise is in managing information; through websites, social media and newsletters or through virtual and in-person events and presentations. Teresa has also used her master’s degree in Library and Information Science to support multiple local nonprofit organizations with their community outreach programs. We are excited to have her on the FLATE team! Please reach out to Teresa at teresa.potter@flate.org with any news you have to share.
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The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) Finalists |
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Twelve teams of Community College students from 12 states around the county are moving to the final round of the CCIC. Although the challenge had to be canceled last year, the organizers rallied to re-organize the 2021 competition to be held virtually. The student teams propose STEM solutions to benefit society. Innovation has been key in all aspects of our society during the pandemic and will continue to be so in the years to come. The finalist teams will participate in a Virtual Innovation Boot Camp and will interact with entrepreneurs and experts in business planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and marketplace dynamics before the final showcase with STEM leaders and congressional stakeholders. Sign up to watch the virtual finalist competition on June 16 and meet the finalist teams here.
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EXCEL Bus Helps Get Career Explorations Out to Students
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Two initiatives in Southwest Florida will drive career information directly to the region’s fifth grade residents. The district’s EXCEL (Excellent Career Exploration Lab) Bus supported by the Lee County School District coupled with Career Ed Talks video panels aim to raise awareness of career opportunities in the region.
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Return of EnergyCareers Virtual Career Event |
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The Center for Energy Workforce Development (CEWD) announces the return of its virtual career event, EnergyCareers 2021 which is set to take place October 20th, 2021 during Careers in Energy Week.
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AACC Seeks Community Colleges, Individual Mentors to
Participate in MentorLinks
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MentorLinks is a program designed for community colleges seeking to develop or strengthen STEM technician education programs. College applicants should be interested in working with an experienced community college mentor who has successfully planned and implemented a major change in a high-technology program. AACC is also seeking applications from 2-year college professionals to serve as mentors to colleges whose faculty and administration want to develop or strengthen a certificate or degree program for technicians in a STEM field. Deadline for applications is June 24. |
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Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2021 |
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Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: 2021 provides statistical information about the participation of these three groups in science and engineering education and employment. Surveys conducted by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation provided a large portion of the data used in this report. Access the report.
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Podcast on Digital Fabrication and Badges |
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Podcast 24: Digital Fabrication and Badges: Training Technicians with the Right Skills to Meet Employer Demand.
In this episode, Sarah Boisvert shares what her research has revealed that employers – particularly in manufacturing – are looking for and the new ways that operators and technicians can demonstrate skills competency.
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Creating pathways for tomorrow’s workforce today:
Beyond reskilling in manufacturing
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Read Deloitte’s latest deep dive into current and emerging issues of manufacturing workforce shortages and recommendations for meeting these challenges. |
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Expanding Work-Based Learning Opportunities for Youth: Insights from the Field Summary of Responses to the U.S. Department of Education’s Request for Information on Work-Based Learning |
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Work-based learning (WBL) is featured prominently in Perkins V as a strategy for preparing career and technical education (CTE) students for further learning and careers. WBL is a key component of the law’s definition of CTE (20 U.S.C. 2302(5)). Importantly, the new law also included participation in WBL by secondary CTE concentrators as a new optional indicator of state performance. Twenty-six states selected this indicator as one of their measures of secondary CTE program quality in 2020. |
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What’s Hot in Science from the
National Science Foundation (NSF) May 2021
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Employers everywhere want their STEM skilled workforce to develop strong critical thinking, troubleshooting and problem-solving skills and strategies. NSF-funded researchers at the University of Virginia explain why people typically add something to solve a problem. They rarely think of removing something as a solution. |
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The Cost of Economic and Racial Injustice
in Postsecondary Education
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A May report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) makes the case that the U.S. loses about $1 trillion annually due to racial and economic injustices in higher education. The report suggests that it may take nearly $4 trillion to close those gaps, but over time, the benefits outweigh the costs. Further, working to equalize educational attainment would boost the GDP by more than $540 billion every year. |
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