Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/737526
8 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 6 innovations, we need the workforce to ensure we have the most competitive manufacturing base in the country. Manufacturing in the new economy requires more than a tweak to our vocational-technical education system, it requires an overhaul in its curriculum, ensuring employers and educators are working together on curriculums to educate our students for the jobs that exist today and tomorrow. It means providing students with an education that teaches them to think critically, gives them skills for the future and a background infused with the principles of engineering. The need for an educated, skilled workforce with STEM skills is only going to increase, and we want to guarantee that every manufacturer in Massachusetts can recruit the workforce they need to keep growing and fulfill increas- ing demand for the quality of product Massachusetts produces. That is why Governor Baker signed an eco- nomic development bill in August that will allow us to grow our commitment to providing a modern vocational education. Our bill pro- vides for $45 million in matching capital funds for workforce skills development, and we have already awarded $9.3 million in these funds, and recently opened a second round that will commit at least $12 million to high schools, community colleges and community-based non-profits. Coupled with a second round of advanced manufacturing training grants, we are working towards creating a new generation of workers that are as nimble as the manufac- turing companies Massachusetts possesses. These funds ensure that our students are training for jobs of the future, on cutting edge technology in laser cutting, 3D printing, preci- sion machine tooling, robotics, automation and other new manufacturing technologies. We've invested in unique maker-spaces in Somerville and Easton, spaces that gives students the opportunity to experiment with technology that underpins advanced manufacturing, and adapt their skills to a rapidly evolving field. As a result of these investments, thousands of young people and adult learners will learn manufacturing skills to build a career in a sec- tor that will continue to grow, that creates incredible products for consumers, the compo- nents that go into almost every other major industry. Our manufacturing workforce will be producing the most sophisticated, cutting-edge products with applications in medical devices, wearable technologies, autonomous vehicles, intelligent machinery and in national defense. This is just the beginning of Massachusetts' leadership in advanced manufacturing, and we are confident on our ascent. That is why we must continue to forge deeper ties between our nationally-leading research and develop- ment community, our manufacturers, our start- ups, our community colleges, our vocation- al-technical high schools and suppliers. We are hard at work articulating Massachusetts' unique manufacturing value proposition, and we need every sector's commitment to expanding, elevating and developing our dom- inance in this field. "Massachusetts is at the vanguard of almost every cutting edge-technology. But we won't stop there." P H O T O / E D D C O T E St. Pierre Manufacturing Corp. in Worcester makes horseshoes for professional players