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1. Preparing the Future Workforce in Advanced Manufacturing: The Case of South Korea

   Oh, Sang Hoo; Mardis, Marcia A; Jones, Faye R. (January 2020, ASEE annual conference exposition)

   In this research paper, we explore how advanced manufacturing has led South Korea’s economy for the past several decades. It accounts for 4.5 million jobs, which is about 10% of South Korea’s population. However, the era of the Industry 4.0 is transforming the nature of the workforce in advanced manufacturing industry. Many workers could lose their jobs to automation, but it is likely that they will also find new jobs in similar occupation. Thus, it will be crucial for various stakeholders in the industry: employee, employers, educators, and policy akers to prepare for this changing nature of the workforce. However, our review of policy and research suggests that little is known about the extent to which South Korea is ready for the changing nature of the workforce in advanced manufacturing industry. In this paper, we will explore South Korea’s readiness for the change in advanced manufacturing workforce. Specifically, we will provide a review of literature relating to the impact of automation in advanced manufacturing workforce and how South Korea is preparing workers for the Industry 4.0. We conclude with promising directions for research. Taken together, this paper will offer several promising directions for further investigation into how South Korea can prepare for the impact of automation in advanced manufacturing workforce 

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2. Data science skills and domain knowledge requirements in the manufacturing industry: A gap analysis

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmsy.2021.07.007  

   Li, Guoyan; Yuan, Chenxi; Kamarthi, Sagar; Moghaddam, Mohsen; Jin, Xiaoning (July 2021, Journal of Manufacturing Systems)

   Manufacturing has adopted technologies such as automation, robotics, industrial Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics to improve productivity, efficiency, and capabilities in the production environment. Modern manufacturing workers not only need to be adept at the traditional manufacturing technologies but also ought to be trained in the advanced data-rich computer-automated technologies. This study analyzes the data science and analytics (DSA) skills gap in today’s manufacturing workforce to identify the critical technical skills and domain knowledge required for data science and intelligent manufacturing-related jobs that are highly in-demand in today’s manufacturing industry. The gap analysis conducted in this paper on Emsi job posting and profile data provides insights into the trends in manufacturing jobs that leverage data science, automation, cyber, and sensor technologies. These insights will be helpful for educators and industry to train the next generation manufacturing workforce. The main contribution of this paper includes (1) presenting the overall trend in manufacturing job postings in the U.S., (2) summarizing the critical skills and domain knowledge in demand in the manufacturing sector, (3) summarizing skills and domain knowledge reported by manufacturing job seekers, (4) identifying the gaps between demand and supply of skills and domain knowledge, and (5) recognize opportunities for training and upskilling workforce to address the widening skills and knowledge gap. 

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3. Advanced manufacturing research experiences for high school teachers: effects on perception and understanding

   Paul*, D. (January 2018, ASEE annual conference)

   There is significant and growing interest in manufacturing; this is particularly true with respect to advanced manufacturing. Advanced manufacturing typically refers to the use of new technologies to make products that have high value or significant value added through the production process. One of the main impediments advanced manufacturing companies cite is the lack of a skilled workforce. This is the result of both a lack of technical skills, but also due to outdated and incorrect perceptions about manufacturing. Manufacturing is incorrectly perceived as low-skilled, dirty, and low paying. The reality is that a significant portion of manufacturing jobs require advanced technological knowledge and are done in state of the art facilities. One of the more effective ways to increase knowledge about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers is to increase the knowledge of teachers. As part of a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education project, a group of high school teachers was offered the opportunity to work in advanced manufacturing labs with engineering faculty. These projects included additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramics, surface characterization of AM metal parts, and surface alteration. The teachers were tasked with developing lesson plans which incorporated the advanced manufacturing concepts that they had learned. As part of the assessment of the program, teachers were given pre- and post- research experience surveys regarding their perceptions of manufacturing and their views of STEM topics in general; the later data were collected using the validated T-STEM instrument. External evaluation also provided feedback on the usefulness of various program activities. Overall participants found their laboratory research and research facility tours extremely useful. They felt that the program enhanced their excitement about STEM and their laboratory skills. Participants also showed significant increases in their post program technology teaching efficacy, student technology use, and STEM career awareness. In addition to empirical results, project descriptions and program details are also be presented. 

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4. Assessing School-to-Career Pathways for Manufacturing in Rural Communities: Further Investigation of Advanced Manufacturing Programs in Northwest Florida

   Mardis, Marcia A.; Jones, Faye R. (January 2020, ASEE annual conference)

   A subset of manufacturing, the advanced manufacturing (AM) sector is defined using two criteria:high levels of spending for research and development (R&D) and a high share of STEM jobs within companies. In northwestFlorida, AM employment is concentrated in two sub-sectors (3259-Other Chemicals and 3344-Semiconductor) and in 2015, constituted 24.6% of theregion’s total employment [1, 2]. Guided by the overarching research question (RQ) “To what extent do curriculum content, employer needs, and student experiences align within an advanced manufacturing educational pathway,” this study’s goals are to 1) investigate the role AM program pathways have in meeting the needs of employers and new professionals who are employed in the region; 2) expand the research base and curriculum content recommendations for entrepreneur and intrapreneur education; 3) build regional capacity for AM program assessment and improvement by replicating, refining, and disseminating study approaches through further research, annual meetings with the AM employer and education community, and an academy which lead state college and university researchers, in collaboration with educational organization, to empower ruralNW Florida colleges. 

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5. Assessing Educational Pathways for Manufacturing in Rural Communities: Research Findings and Implications from an Investigation of New and Existing Programs in Northwest Florida: Accomplishments through Year 4

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--36705  

   Mardis, Marcia A; Jones, Faye R. (September 2022, ASEE annual conference)

   In northwest Florida, advanced manufacturing (AM) jobs far outpace the middle-skilled technician workforce, though AM constitutes almost a quarter of the region’s total employment. From 2018-2028, of the available 4.6 million manufacturing jobs, less than half are likely to be filled due to talent shortages. This widening “skills gap” is attributed to many factors that range from new technologies in the AM industry (e.g., artificial intelligence, robotics), a need for newer recruiting methods, branding, and incentives in AM educational programs. Some professionals have even indicated that manufacturing industries and AM educational programs should be aligned more to reflect the needs of the industry. Even in the wake of Covid-19, when there have been over 700,000 manufacturing jobs lost due to market conditions, many states still have jobs that go unfilled further suggesting that there are challenges in filling AM technician positions. In a time when technicians in AM are in high demand and the number of graduates are in low supply, it is critical to identify whether AM education is meeting the needs of new professionals in the workforce and what they believe can be improved in these programs. This is especially true in rural locales, where economies with manufacturing industries are much more reliant on them. In the context of a NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE), through a multi-method approach, we sought to understand: 1) Which AM competencies skills did participants report as benefiting them in gaining employment? 2) Which competencies are needed on the job to be a successful AM technician? 3) What are the ways in which AM preparation can be improved to enhance employment outcomes? This study’s results will expand the research base and curriculum content recommendations for regional AM education, as well as build regional capacity for AM program assessment and improvement by replicating, refining, and disseminating study approaches through further research, annual AM employer and educator meetings, and annual research skill-building academies in which stakeholders transfer research findings to practices and policies that empower rural NW Florida colleges. To date, research efforts have demonstrated that competency perceptions of faculty, employers, and new professionals have notable misalignments that have opportunities for AM program curriculum revision and enhancement. This paper summarizes five years of research output, emphasizing the impactful findings and dissemination products for ASEE community members, as well as opportunities for further research. 

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