Help develop knowledge and interest in careers in manufacturing by working with students. The program includes the Adopt-a-School program and the Industrial Manufacturing Technician Apprenticeship partnerships with FloridaMakes. Contact Paul Miller to learn how your organization can participate.
Industry 4.0: Smart Manufacturing
Our February Industry 4.0 webinar was rescheduled to Wed. March. 2, 2022 at 1 p.m.There is still time to register to attend.Please join us for this insightful overview which includes origins, six primary reasons companies are adapting to Industry 4.0 technologies and solutions.
FloridaMakes' David Dragon will present how Smart Manufacturing can improve operation efficiencies, increase competitiveness, foster innovation and attract the next generation of manufacturing employees.
This webinar will also address how Smart Manufacturing solutions can improve connectivity and communication with customers, suppliers and employees, and how FloridaMakes and NWFMC can help manufacturers navigate into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Middle School STEM grants to increase We Build It Better Program
Workman Middle School in Pensacola will soon have a Center of Invention and Innovation and STEM program. The new program increases the possibility that students who start out learning the basics of industrial technology in the We Build It Better program will then choose to join the aviation program in high school and post-secondary school.
The grant is one of five pledged by Florida Power and Light totaling $2 million to increase Black students’ exposure to STEM education. All recipient schools receiving the classroom makeover grants are comprised of at least 25% Black students. Students will learn STEM skills that can be applied to many different careers, not just to fields focused on aviation design.
"The STEM curriculum developed by Flight Works Alabama gets students interested early on in the technical side of the design process and gives them foundational skills for aviation manufacturing," said Steven Harrell, director of Workforce Education for the Escambia County School District. "But it also teaches kids skills like precision measurement, how to use a caliper and a micrometer, and a torque wrench and things like that. They do everything from learning to read a tape measure and swinging a hammer all the way up to printing things with a 3-D printer." READ MORE
Florida TaxWatch releases manufacturing report
Florida TaxWatch has released a report entitled Manufacturing a Transformational Shift: Expanding Florida's Workforce Development Through Sector Strategies. It features a comprehensive summary of the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit, which brought together leaders such as Associated Industries of Florida, CareerSource Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Florida, and FloridaMakes to elevate the importance of the manufacturing industry in Florida and identify ways to strengthen and advance Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity, and technological performance of its Manufacturing sector.
“The global markets are evolving, and this report highlights some of the challenges and opportunities that manufacturing in Florida has to increase its relevance and impact. With the ongoing collaboration of valued stakeholders – like those that participated in the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit – we can build on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, leverage the different resources and opportunities available to us, and ensure this growing sector continues to evolve and thrive, thereby making significant contributions to Florida’s future success,” Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said.
“The COVID-19 pandemic had a measurable negative impact on the Manufacturing sector,” said Kevin Carr, FloridaMakes CEO. “However, it also underscored how critical the Manufacturing sector is to our day-to-day lives. We saw that, in particular, with the critical healthcare products shortages during the pandemic, and the resulting supply chain shortages we are currently experiencing in nearly every critical industrial sector. Florida TaxWatch did a fantastic job with the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit report, outlining the challenges manufacturing currently faces and the solutions we can work on together to improve the Manufacturing sector's ecosystem in Florida.” READ MORE
NWFMC members, you are encouraged to complete your Connex Florida profile. Adding specific details about products, processes, equipment, certifications, materials, NAICS/SIC codes and capacity to produce PPE makes it easier for others to find and do business with you.
Connex Florida is free! For questions or help with logging into your account, please email Connex@FloridaMakes.com.
