Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Selects Eleven New Education and Workforce Development Projects for Funding
Selected projects aim to accelerate US manufacturing workforce initiatives through targeted outreach.
On May 1st, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) announced the selection of 11 new education and workforce development projects awarded to members of its national consortium. Pending final negotiations, ARM plans to provide more than $2.2M in funding for a total investment of approximately $7.8M across the 11 projects.
These projects were selected from the ARM Fall 2018 project call that sought work and learning initiatives for transitioning military and underrepresented populations. The call also provided two open topic areas – one for work and learning and the other for talent attraction. Many of these projects are being developed and tested regionally; once proven, they will be available for implementation by ARM’s members nationwide.
With this latest selection, 43% of ARM’s 193 member organizations are now actively involved with at least one funded project. When the negotiations are finalized for these 11 projects, ARM is expected to have 40 projects in place since the organization’s formation in January 2017.
Project funding is one crucial method that ARM uses to advance manufacturing in the U.S. By having dedicated project calls, ARM seeks to address both the technology and workforce-related issues limiting growth in the national manufacturing ecosystem. Selected projects kick off at the regional level, with the possibility of scaling to a national scale.
“Our team is very excited about the potential of these projects to catalyze growth in US manufacturing. The consistent message we hear from manufacturers is that our nation’s workforce isn’t adequately skilled to sustain significant economic growth. We believe our selected projects, combined with previously awarded projects, help to address this issue,” stated ARM CEO Dr. Byron Clayton.
About The Washington State Robotics Workforce Readiness Program
Principal Investigator: Impact Washington, WA
This project will leverage the current manufacturing and military partnerships and develop new aspects of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Puget Sound (CAMPS) sponsored Military to Manufacturing (M2M) Career Pathways Program. New aspects of the program will align with ARM’s Work and Learn educational programs for transitioning military personnel, veterans, and spouses to engage individuals in online, classroom, and internship training as a pathway to high-value careers in manufacturing.
“For more than 20 years, Impact Washington has been working alongside partners and companies to support and energize the productivity and performance of manufacturing in Washington State, and funding this project will make a difference to our entire community,” said Deloit R Wolfe Jr., Interim President and Center Director, Impact Washington. “The opportunity to support the CAMPS-sponsored M2M program and establish a new Robotics Technician training program for approximately 40 Washington State-based transitioning military personnel and veterans who have been recently separated from military installations is a step in helping resolve workforce issues and ensuring a healthy manufacturing community.”
We are proud to be an ARM Member.
Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) is the nation’s leading robotics and workforce innovation collaborative. Structured as a public-private partnership, ARM accelerates the advancement of transformative robotic technologies and education to grow U.S. global manufacturing competitiveness. Founded in January 2017 by Carnegie Mellon University, ARM operates as a separate non-profit member collaborative. Learn more at www.arminstitute.org.
View ARM’s Official Release Here