Alcoa Foundation, a large corporate foundation, and Discovery Education, a provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, have launched Manufacture Your Future, a new online destination designed to inspire thousands of students in grades 6-12 to take the first step towards exploring and pursuing today's manufacturing careers. The program provides middle and high school educators, guidance counselors, students and families with hands-on resources that are designed to build excitement around post-secondary manufacturing career opportunities.
Manufacture Your Future is designed to encourage the development of critical thinking skills through real-world application, and offers dynamic standards-based Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) focused lesson plans, a manufacturing career guide, family discussion starters and a Virtual Field Trip designed to give students an inside look at some of today's most prominent manufacturing careers. Educating students about careers in manufacturing is especially relevant knowing that, according to The Manufacturing Institute, more than one in seven U.S. private sector jobs depends on the U.S. manufacturing base. The sector supports millions of people who make things in America and a large number of employees in other sectors of the economy.
"As the manufacturing industry continues to evolve, it is becoming increasingly important that we nurture a future workforce that is interested in pursuing careers in manufacturing, and that they are also equipped with the STEM skills necessary for these critical jobs," said Karen Zilhaver, Middle School Educator from Seminole, FL. "Manufacture Your Future allows me to do both of those things for my students. Using these tools, I can build excitement and skills."
"The manufacturing industry is an innovative place full of exciting potential," said Esra Ozer, President, Alcoa Foundation. "However, we need a strong pipeline of talent to fill the increasing demand in the manufacturing industry. Programs like Manufacture Your Future help kick-start a student's understanding of possible manufacturing careers. Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation are proud to help ignite that spark of interest."
Manufacture Your Future's comprehensive, cross-curricular lesson plans also look at the history of manufacturing and include STEM-based resources on robotics, designed to stimulate conversations between educators and students around potential manufacturing careers. Designed by Discovery Education's curriculum experts, the site's resources provide insights into the science behind the manufacturing design process. Family Discussion Starters extend the conversation beyond the classroom, giving parents a way to highlight the crucial role that manufacturing plays in day-to-day life. Educating families is an important goal of the program, given that, according to a national survey by The Manufacturing Institute, less than 20% of Americans said that their parents or their school system encouraged them to pursue a career in manufacturing.
The program's virtual career guide provides an additional layer of support, offering guidance counselors detailed, first-hand information about manufacturing careers - from welding to mechanical engineering - giving students a more holistic look at the industry's wide range of occupational options.
Manufacture Your Future will launch its first virtual field trip on National Manufacturing Day, October 3, 2014. Students will get an inside look at careers in advanced manufacturing through an interactive event hosted live from an Alcoa facility.
For more information contact:
Alcoa Foundation
390 Park Avenue - 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
www.alcoafoundation.com
Discovery Education
One Discovery Place
Silver Spring, MD 20910
800-323-9084
www.discoveryeducation.com
Manufacture Your Future
www.manufactureyourfuture.com