Proceedings of the 11th Model-Based Enterprise Summit (MBE 2020) Article Swipe
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· 2020
· Open Access
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· DOI: https://doi.org/10.6028/nist.ams.100-29
· OA: W3034780182
Manufacturing continues to be considered the backbone of economic growth in the United States.However, a challenge for manufacturing competitiveness can be the negative perception of the industry held by children that makes them reluctant to pursue manufacturing careers and fulfill the projected workforce demands.Accordingly, there have been a number of K-12 education and/or talent pipeline initiatives to address the issues related to (1) the availability of a skilled workforce, (2) the preparation of students for the jobs of tomorrow, and (3) teacher access to the tools necessary to inspire children to pursue these highdemand career pathways.However, research attempts focused on better understanding the influences of these industry-driven outreach initiatives on children's perceptions of manufacturing-related careers are necessary.Therefore, IN-MaC and Purdue University launched a study focused on investigating the investigating the "perceptions gap" of children (Grades K through 12) and the influence of region-wide industry-led outreach, which included summer camps and manufacturing week activities.To do so, data were collected from career perception surveys and a "Draw-A-Manufacturer" test, which were administered both before and after these outreach experiences.The influences of these talent pipeline initiatives on the participants' career perceptions and interests will be presented and the used as a foundation for discussions and recommendations for enhancing outreach activities and preparing children for the future of work.
