The new Louisiana FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) conducted its first Open House to celebrate Manufacturing Day/Month on November 2, 2017. The newest chapter in the FAME network, LAFAME continues its fast out-of-the-gate start by sponsoring a Manufacturing Day event during their first year of offering the AMT (Advanced Manufacturing Technician) Program. Manufacturing Day/Month is an annual event that was started to highlight the contributions of the manufacturing industry to our society and to promote the rewarding careers to be found in manufacturing. Among the most lucrative of those careers is that of a skilled technician. Not only do technicians make high pay they are also the position which has the most openings. In two studies Deloitte, Inc., a research firm, projected that the unfilled job gap for skilled manufacturing workers would grow from 600,000 unfilled jobs in 2011 to 2 million by 2025. As part of the strategy to make the education opportunity that the AMT Program represents followed by the career opportunities which it opens for graduates in manufacturing, FAME chapter are asked to host a Manufacturing Day event each year. The event, lead by AMT students, also assists in developing a number of the skills and capabilities that are part of the AMT Program in addition to the technology component. These skills include the Professional Behaviors of Initiative, Diligence, Teamwork, and Communication, as well as the Essential Behaviors of Responsibility and Organization.

LAFAME’s Manufacturing Day event was held in their new Advanced Manufacturing Center, the special open manufacturing emulation environment in which the AMT Program is conducted. LAFAME is a collaborative effort between area employers, and Northwestern State University and Central Louisiana Technical Community College in Natchitoches, LA. Read the accompanying article for more information.

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Photo: Randy Caskey, an AMT Program faculty instructor for the AMT Program at Central Louisiana Technical Community College, discusses the integrated process simulator with some of the visitors to LAFAME’s Manufacturing Day activity. Utilizing a number of different technologies, the integrated process simulator helps AMT students to grasp complex technical processes and to develop better problem solving skills.