Smart Manufacturing Workforce Development Model

Project Lead: El Camino College
Partners: University of California Berkeley, California State University Northridge, University of California Los Angeles, Atollogy, Autodesk, Aerospace, Honeywell, University of California Irvine, University of Southern California
Member % Cost Share: 61%
CESMII % Cost Share: 39%
Duration: 24 Months
Problem Statement
Lack of tools available to assess a business’s readiness to adopt SM technologies and availability of corresponding education and training programs across the country.
Project Goal
To develop a SM Workforce Model that leverages existing education and workforce training systems to develop the workforce needed for SM.
Technical Approach
This program will be designed so that any curriculum, training component, or business development tool developed can easily be adopted and customized by organizations nation-wide.
Key Tasks & Milestones
- Determine SM core competencies for operators, technicians, engineers and managers
- Create a national inventory of existing SM workforce and education programs from across the country
- Conduct a gap analysis of SM core competencies required by industry and existing SM educational and training programs
- Develop training modules and a certificate program model focused on the incumbent workforce
- Develop an SM awareness campaign for businesses
- Develop SM Career Path with an 18-unit SM post bachelor certificate program with modular classes for K-12, community colleges
- Develop models, test-bed, software and graduate courses for chemical engineering pathway
- Develop SM modular classes for K-12, CC and University
- Integrate SM courses into career pathways

Potential Impact
- Once the curriculum is available, the number of SM educated and trained workers will increase and companies will be more likely to adopt SM technologies
- An educational program throughout California that can be replicated at no-or-low cost across the country.
- A bridge to spread information between K-12 districts, community colleges, and 4-year universities –systems that are already well funded
Benefits
- Creation of tools needed for adoption of SM curriculum at all levels of education and training
- A modular and customizable system so where any curriculum, training component, or business development tools can be easily adopted and customized by organizations nationwide
- User-friendly software allowing engineers to use without extensive control systems knowledge