MFG Day is a worldwide initiative, launched every year on the 1^st Friday in October and now continued throughout the month, with events to promote great careers in manufacturing to students! In Florida, it empowers manufacturers and educators to come together to address Florida’s manufacturing workforce challenges.  By highlighting what modern manufacturing looks like as well as the many high-wage careers available, we can help our Florida communities and future generations thrive. 

by Terry Iverson, President/Owner Iverson & Company and past Chairperson of FLATE’s National Visiting Committee

After producing a live CNC manufacturing camp in Jacksonville, Florida before the pandemic, I felt inspired to do more to help young people understand the excitement of making things and the careers possible in manufacturing. During the COVID19 pandemic, all the CTE community struggled with home-based and remote learning instruction. With the thought of costs of shipping machines around the country, and the need for more virtual content, I decided to embark on producing videos that could be used to augment CTE, Project Lead the Way and STEM curriculum. The initiative began by filming basic manufacturing and engineering concepts to simply expose those who just do not know of the connections between manufacturing and engineering and the relevance in the products we use in our everyday lives.

The videos are categorized into three sections: beginner, intermediate and advanced. This allows the viewer to gradually build from one section to the other. School can subscribe annually for $500 to use what has now grown to over 22 videos. Interested in the videos? A school district can also purchase for all of their schools for $1,500, and lastly, a company can do the same for $1,000.00.

If interested in sponsoring, please contact Mike Martucci at michael.martucci@ocps.net or 407-267-6826. Great things happen for students when industry engages in their learning.

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. The Florida Career Pathways Network 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. Early bird registration is open now. This web page also has information on how to become a "Best Practice" presenter as well as Sponsorship opportunities.

New America Foundation launched the New Models for Career Preparation project just before the pandemic that aims to unpack the principles that go into creating high-quality, non-degree programs at community colleges. Now, they are funding a second cohort of community colleges that are leaders in workforce development to understand the institutional factors that help a community college offer these critical workforce pathways. Six colleges will receive $50,000 grants to support their workforce needs. The recipients will work with them for a 1-year period and better understand what makes them so effective at offering quality workforce programs. Apply by the 9/24 deadline.

Learn more during an applicant webinar on September 16 at 1:00 pm EST Formal applications are due October 5, 2021. 

The goal of Mentor-Connect, supported by the National Science Foundation is to develop or strengthen technician education programs in the STEM fields. Two-year college teams, STEM faculty and an administrator and/or grant writer, will be selected to receive the NSF ATE grant proposal development mentoring. Colleges who participate in this program can increase their chances of being awarded a grant up to $350,000,

Apply online to Mentor-Connect@fdtc.edu by 11:59 p.m. EST, October 8,2021! 

The U.S. Economic Development Administration’s STEM Talent Challenge will deploy a total of $2 million in grants to organizations that are creating and implementing STEM talent development strategies that complement their region’s innovation economy. Applicants may request up to $250,000 for implementation of a 24-month program that uses work-based learning models to expand regional STEM-capable workforce capacity and build the workforce of tomorrow. Apply by October 12, 2021.

Join the summer fun AND recruit future students to your program by hosting a Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs summer manufacturing camp at your college. Last summer, NBT funded several Robotics and STEM camps around Florida. Help middle and high school students develop hands-on skills and discover prosperous careers in the manufacturing industry. The summer 2022 NBT camp grant application deadline is Dec. 1, 2021 and is very easy to complete. Join State College of Florida, Central Florida College and Hillsborough Community College in these summer impactful and fun recruiting activities. Click here for camp impact data and more information on these Florida camps.

This software duo was can provided great experiences for on-line students. For more info on how to get access for your classes. contact Bill (Wenle) Zhang at wxzhang@ualr.edu.