The SME Education Foundation was highlighted in an extended feature in The New York Times on preparing high school students for careers in robotics within the manufacturing industry. The story prominently features one of the Foundation's SME PRIME schools, Anna High School, in Anna, Ohio, as well as Honda, the manufacturing partner supporting that school.
The SME PRIME (Partnership Response In Manufacturing Education) initiative directly enhances the manufacturing and engineering talent pipeline by partnering with industry to develop manufacturing and engineering programs in high schools nationwide.
To date, the Foundation has implemented SME PRIME in close to 50 high schools, including Anna High School, and in partnership with nearly 50 manufacturing companies. The idea is to provide students with hands-on training and expose them to manufacturing technology and potential career paths.
“Because of negative perceptions about factory work, making it appealing is a global challenge. ... The nation that figures it out first is going to be in the front position to capitalize.”
The article states robots could eliminate 75 million jobs globally by 2022 and create 133 million others, according to a World Economic Forum report released last year. The SME Education Foundation and the PRIME program aim to bring awareness to what the future holds for the manufacturing industry and provide solutions to develop, build and strengthen the workforce.
Read the full New York Times article
