TA3 Meeting 2012
The Future of Manufacturing: Implications for Education and Training

Manufacturing employment has been in decline in western economies, which generally is attributed to competition fromnewly developed lower cost regions and increasing automation. Most leaders believe, however, that retaining a viable manufacturing base is vitally important to the security and innovative capacity. Revitalizing manufacturing, however, will depend on creative forms of products and production. This symposium addressed the following questions facing community and technical colleges in the U.S. and Europe in providing the skills needed for manufacturing to re-invent itself. Click here for the agenda that includes links to all the presentations. Some background on recent trends in manufacturing is summarized here. We had some terrific speakers featured providing compelling background on:

• Which types of manufacturing and which types of companies are most likely to continue to be competitive in advanced, high-wage economies?
• What are the challenges and opportunities associated with automation?
• What entrepreneurial opportunities will develop and can these produce a large enough employment base to be significant?
• What types and levels of skills and knowledge will community college graduates need in the future and what will their career paths look like?
• Why are too few students entering manufacturing career paths to replace a rapidly aging workforce, even with the promise of good wages?