The Automation Federation and American Association of Community Colleges announce the creation of the Automation Community College Consortium

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

The Automation Federation announced that the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has approved and will fully support the creation of a U.S. Automation Community College Consortium.

The Automation Federation presented the Automation Community College Consortium concept to a very receptive AACC during a recent visit to Washington, D.C. The AACC recognized the valuable work the Automation Federation is undertaking with community colleges for the creation of an automation curriculum. This curriculum is key to achieving the Automation Federation’s goal of building the “Next Generation of Automation Professionals.”

Automation is the central factor in the continued global competitiveness of the U.S., and more specifically in the revitalization of manufacturing. Current estimates show that thousands of new automation professionals are needed annually to fill critical manufacturing and other automation-related jobs as the baby-boomer generation enters retirement. Unfortunately, the replacement workforce to fill these vital positions is critically lacking. We must begin to educate the “Next Generation of Automation Professionals” today to avoid an adverse impact on the ability of U.S. industry to grow and compete globally in the future.

The Automation Federation has identified community colleges as an invaluable resource for providing the education and training needed to establish the “Next Generation of Automation Professionals.” The Automation Competency Model (ACM)—developed by the Automation Federation and the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor—is the tool that will assist the colleges in the development of automation educational curricula for future automation professionals. The ACM is designed to help individuals prepare for job opportunities in the automation profession and to aid existing professionals in attaining the knowledge and skills for improving job performance.

The Automation Federation, with the support and assistance of the AACC, will bring the colleges and the model together through the development of the U.S. Automation Community College Consortium. Together, the Automation Federation and the AACC will introduce the ACM and the consortium to the member colleges of the AACC. The member colleges that comprise the consortium will use the ACM as the framework for developing an automation curriculum that will result in two-year degree programs in specific automation arenas and provide an educational track leading to a four-year degree program in automation, engineering and technology.

Vice President of Economic Development and International Programs for the AACC, Jim McKenney, said, “The AACC and the Automation Federation have been working together to make our community college members aware of the ACM and the value it brings to the development of automation curricula. Building on our past efforts, the creation of the U.S. Automation Community College Consortium will significantly advance our progress toward the development of automation curricula and related degree programs.”

Cleveland Community College located in Shelby, North Carolina, has become the first community college to join the consortium. In addition, Cleveland Community College has recently established an Automation Center of Excellence for the study of automation. The automation curriculum offered at Cleveland Community College is based on the ACM.

“Cleveland Community College is excited about working with the Automation Federation and future consortium members through the AACC to help the U.S. maintain our industry leadership and advance the workforce of the future nationwide,” said Cleveland Community College Department Chair, Industrial Services, Mitchell Sepaugh.

“The partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges to build the U.S. Automation Community College Consortium is a noteworthy example of the significant progress the Automation Federation is making in expanding the use of the Automation Competency Model for the good of the profession,” said 2012 Automation Federation Chair, Leo Staples. “And, once the U.S. consortium and curricula are established, we hope to use them as a model for other nations to incorporate into their institutions of higher learning.”

To learn more about the Automation Federation and the Automation Competency Model, visit www.automationfederation.org/Model, or contact Michael Marlowe, CNM, managing director/director of government relations for the Automation Federation, at +1 919-314-3937 or communications@automationfederation.org.

About Cleveland Community College
Cleveland Community College, located in Shelby, North Carolina, is a comprehensive public community college. The College offers more than 70 Associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates. The College currently serves over 8,000 students annually by providing a wide variety of credit and non-credit programming options. Cleveland Community College provides diverse and accessible learning opportunities critical to the needs of the citizens it serves while delivering workforce development and training for local business and industry. For more information, please visit the College’s website at www.clevelandcc.edu.

About AACC
Located in Washington, D.C., the American Association of Community Colleges is a national organization representing the nation’s close to 1,200 community, junior and technical colleges. Community colleges are the largest and fastest growing sector of higher education and enroll almost half (46 percent) of all U.S. undergraduates. Visit www.aacc.nche.edu to learn more.

Posted in AF Committee Updates, Government Relations Activities, Major Initiatives, What have we been up to?, Workforce Development Activities | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Building the next generation of automation professionals

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

This April found representatives from the Automation Federation and its member organizations hard at work advancing the automation profession with several workforce development initiatives in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, Mo.

2012 FIRST Championship
Thirty thousand participants, fans, families, educators, and industry leaders celebrated students’ engineering and robotics prowess at the annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship, held in St. Louis, Mo., at the Edward Jones Dome, 25–28 April.

The Automation Federation and ISA, Alliance Partners of FIRST, joined the event to talk with children and parents about careers in automation. The Automation Federation and the ISA St. Louis Section hosted a display in the partner area of the “pits”—where students and mentors work together on last-minute updates and maintenance for their robots. Automation Federation and ISA volunteers provided informational materials about automation careers and answered the children and parents’ questions about automation.

More than 600 teams from 32 countries competed in the three levels of FIRST: FIRST LEGO League (FLL, grades 4 to 8: ages 9 to 14 in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; and 9 to 16 outside North America); FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC, grades 9 to 12: ages 14 to 18); and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC, grades 9 to 12: ages 14 to 18). In addition, 40 teams of 6- to 9-year-olds participated in the Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr. FLL, grades K-3), showcasing their science and technology smarts in the Jr. FLL World Festival Expo.

AF Supports FIRST Championship

Read more about the event

2nd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival
 The Automation Federation and ISA participated in the 2nd Annual USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., 28–29 April.

The Automation Federation/ISA exhibit, Automation Is Cool!, offered festival attendees of all ages a variety of automation-related activities through which they could learn more about the importance of math and science as it relates to automation and how it impacts everyday life. ISA Baltimore-Washington Section members, Rebecca Buhner, Bill Corish, Lloyd Risser, and Rich Sommerfield—assisted by Automation Federation and ISA staff—presented the concepts of temperature, pressure, and flow measurement while teaching children (and adults) about the automation profession through various hands-on activities.

The festival staff reported: “The feedback has been rolling in, and overall the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with most attendees asking when the next festival will take place and if we can expand the Expo to a weeklong celebration. We really feel like we accomplished our goal with your participation—creating the largest ultimate celebration of science and engineering in the country, and inspiring thousands of people of all ages to explore careers in STEM.

Students learning about flow measurement at the Automation Federation/ISA booth.

We are very excited to report that based on estimated numbers from the convention center, over 150,000 people participated over the three days. Sneak Peek Friday more than doubled in size based on the number of students who had pre-registered, and included nearly 28,000 students, teachers, military families, government officials, and press.”

Overall, the event and the Automation Is Cool! exhibit were declared highly successful. To learn more about the festival, visit http://www.usasciencefestival.org.

More Information
For more information about getting involved with a FIRST team in your local area, or to join Automation Federation and ISA’s workforce development efforts, visit www.automationfederation.org, or contact Michael Marlowe, CNM, managing director/director of government relations, at communications@automationfederation.org.

Posted in How Can I Help?, Major Initiatives, Upcoming AF and AF Sponsored Events, What have we been up to?, Why this is Important to Me, Workforce Development Activities | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

AF and ISA celebrate EWEEK 2012

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

As a proud sponsor of National Engineers Week (EWEEK), ISA encourages members and customers to take part in supporting the engineering profession by participating in this special week. This year, EWEEK was held 19-24 February.

EWEEK, founded in 1951 by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), is a formal coalition of more than 70 engineering, educational, and cultural societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies. This coalition is dedicated to raising public awareness of engineers’ positive contributions to quality of life. EWEEK promotes recognition among parents, teachers, and students of the importance of a technical education and a high level of math, science, and technology literacy; and motivates youth to pursue engineering careers in order to provide a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce.

Each year, the National Engineers Week Foundation reaches thousands of schools, businesses, and community groups across the U.S. Their community outreach programs, including the Foundation’s K-12 DiscoverE classroom visits, depend on grassroots organizations and local volunteers for success.

As part of this year’s EWEEK, ISA Executive Director and CEO Pat Gouhin was invited to speak at Riverside High School in Durham, N.C. His presentation covered career paths in automation. The 140 students in attendance were attending engineering classes and demonstrated significant interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Gouhin said, “The classes were very diverse, and I was totally impressed with the set-up of the high school. They have freshman and sophomores (in high school) taking pre-engineering classes and labs, including one with a wind tunnel! They have experienced teachers coming out of industry and some even have engineering degrees.

“This was great because it allowed me to really talk about the practical side of being an engineer in industry. I shared some YouTube videos on automation, and the students were making (positive) comments to each other on how cool it was. I challenged them and said that this was all stuff being done today, and I couldn’t even imagine what kinds of projects they might be managing 20 years from now. It was a pretty cool and rewarding day, as I felt like I was giving something back and making a difference in a kid’s life. The teachers pledged to get us back in there and keep the conversations going.”

Gouhin’s invitation to speak at Riverside High School was in part due to the Automation Federation’s work with the Durham Public Schools to introduce an automation curriculum to their Engineering Programs at targeted high schools throughout the school district. Riverside High School has been identified as one of those target high schools. The success of Gouhin’s presentation has led to plans for additional presentations to students.

Read original ISA Insights article.

Posted in Uncategorized

Mentors Wanted

Posted on April 6, 2012 by

The Automation Federation has launched its new Automation Mentor program. This program is designed to support the AutomationVETS Initiative and to assist anyone interested in a career in automation (students, individuals considering a career change, etc.) with attaining valuable, first-hand information from real automation professionals. The Automation Mentor Program will connect interested individuals, including military Veterans, with a Technical or Career Mentor who will answer questions about automation and its industries, career opportunities, required skill sets, and more. In addition, the Career Mentors will help the program participants determine if a career in automation is right for them. Career Mentors will help connect participating individuals with other automation professionals, including Technical Mentors, as needed to assist them on their paths to becoming automation professionals.

Individuals interested in becoming a Career or Technical Mentor are encouraged to visit www.automationfederation.org/Mentor.

Individuals seeking to take advantage of the program by connecting with a Career or Technical Mentor are encouraged to visit www.automationfederation.org/AutomationMentorProgram.

Posted in A Day in the Life of an Automation Professional, How Can I Help?, Major Initiatives, Workforce Development Activities | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Automation Federation Named 2012 ML100 New Workforce Award Winner

Posted on March 22, 2012 by

The Automation Federation is listed among the distinguished recipients of the eighth annual Manufacturing Leadership 100 Awards.

The Automation Federation is an association of member organizations that provides awareness, programs and services that continually advance all facets of the automation profession. The Automation Federation serves as the “Voice of Automation” by providing advocacy and industry-wide strategic analysis and coordination through its member organizations.

The Automation Federation was selected for the 2012 ML100 New Workforce Award by Manufacturing Executive, the global community for manufacturing leadership and producer of the Manufacturing Leadership Summit and ML100 Awards program.

The Automation Federation is being recognized for its AutomationSTEM program and its related activities, initiatives and collaborations, including the Alliance with FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). AutomationSTEM is designed to make the future workforce aware of the importance of automation and engineering; the many career opportunities available in this broad profession; and the importance science, technology, engineering and math will play in those careers.

An independent judging panel chaired by David R. Brousell, vice president and editorial director, and Jeff Moad, executive editor of manufacturing executive, reviewed project and individual achievement nominations, and the winners were decided by a panel of qualified judges from various companies and organizations in the manufacturing sector.

The Automation Federation will be honored and presented with its 2012 ML100 New Workforce Award for the AutomationSTEM program at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit Awards Gala on 2 May 2012 at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, USA.

2012 Automation Federation Chair, Leo Staples, stated, “The Automation Federation’s receipt of the 2012 ML100 New Workforce Award is a true affirmation of the work we are doing and the benefits it will have for the future of manufacturing. The award recognizes our AutomationSTEM program, whose K-12 education initiatives will surely help alleviate the future technical skills shortage we will face as a profession by building the next generation of automation professionals now. We hope this ML100 Award will encourage others in the profession to provide support for our AutomationSTEM initiatives.”

About Manufacturing Executive

Manufacturing Executive, a unit of Thomas Publishing LLC of New York, is a community committed to connecting, educating and supporting a global network of executives working within the manufacturing ecosystem to build a stronger, more vibrant manufacturing industry worldwide. The community is built around two core groups: The Manufacturing Leadership Council and the Manufacturing Executive Online Group. Manufacturing Executive also publishes the Manufacturing Executive Leadership Journal. Learn more at www.manufacturing-executive.com.

Posted in Government Relations Activities, Major Initiatives, What have we been up to?, Workforce Development Activities | Tagged

CCC wins award to offer fluid power course

Posted on February 14, 2012 by

This article ran on shelbystar.com on Friday, Feb 3 2012, 5:02 p.m.:

http://automationfederation.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=299&action=edit&message=6&postpost=v2

SHELBY — Cleveland Community College is one of three recipients of the 2012 National Fluid Power Association Education and Technology Foundation Award.

CCC will use the award to help strengthen interest in automation and fluid power on its campus with hopes of attracting some of the best and brightest students to the field of automation engineering, according to a college news release.

Other schools receiving 2012 awards are Purdue  University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Mark Gengler, discipline coordinator for industrial systems and facilities maintenance, submitted a proposal entitled “Cleveland  Community College – Fluid Power in Automation,” which outlines CCC’s goal of offering a fluid power in automation course by the spring of 2013.

The foundation has awarded 21 gifts and one grant to 16 schools to date.  According to the NFPA, “these awards align with our strategy to bring fluid power to as many students as possible through our growing list of educator members.”

Following is a brief overview of Gengler’s project:

The goal of this project is to develop industry-specific, high-skill-level training components for a credit course at the two-year college level for automation application in the fluid power industry.  Measurable objectives for the project include the following:

Objective 1:  By March 2012, complete four unique industry assessments using resources through the NFPA and the Automation Federation

Objective 2:  By May 2012, develop the course “Fluid Power in Automation”

Objective 3:  By September 2012, receive approval to offer the course from the accrediting body of the college and the N.C. Community College System

Objective 4:  Offer the course in spring 2013 semester with a minimum of 10 students enrolled.  Course will be offered through synchronous and asynchronous methods.

Intended benefits of the project are to develop and provide industry-specific training in fluid power applications in automation systems.  Consequences include an increased interest and application of fluid power in automation systems and the project will act as a foundation for future courses to be developed with similar concepts.

Posted in Articles of Interest, Workforce Development Activities | Tagged | Leave a comment

Automation Career Poster Goes to 4,000+ U.S. Schools

Posted on January 5, 2012 by

AF and its member organization, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Education Foundation, will be distributing a “Consider a Career in Automation” poster to the 4,000+ Project Lead The Way middle and high schools across the U.S. The poster is the latest effort of AF and its member organizations to encourage students to consider pursuing careers in automation.

The poster presents automation as a career option visually and textually while inviting them to learn more about automation as a career at www.automationfederation.org/InControl.

The Automation Federation appreciates the continued support of the SME Education Foundation in building the “Next Generation of Automation Professionals.”

To view the “Consider a Career in Automation” poster, visit www.automationfederation.org/CareerPoster.

Posted in Uncategorized