Aligning NSF Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Center Programs

with the Workforce System

NCATC 2008October 2, 2008

Ken Smith – Weld-Ed National Center

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NSF ATE Program Overview

• The National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program uses educators from two-year colleges to lead initiatives that improve the skills of technicians and the educators who teach them.

• The ATE program invigorates technician education programs with competitive grants to innovative educators who work at or in collaboration with two-year colleges.

• Public community and technical colleges provide most of the postsecondary education available to technicians in the United States.

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What are ATE Centers?

• ATE Centers have broad missions as change agents in their fields. The centers, the flagships of the ATE program, have strong connections with regional and national employers of technicians.

• The programs they develop with colleagues in secondary schools, universities, and industry serve as models that others can use to respond more effectively to national, regional, and local economic and educational challenges.

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The Advanced Technological Education program…

• Delivers well-qualified technicians to the workforce saving employers time and money

• Influences changes in the hiring practices of key industries• Improves STEM curricula and instruction at community and

technical colleges, and secondary schools using current research• Saves school systems and higher education institutions time and

money revising curricula and creating new programs for emerging technologies

• Encourages the participation of women and underrepresented groups in STEM fields

• Reaches out to middle school and high school students to inform them of technical career opportunities

• Increases enrollments in mathematics and science courses that prepare students for careers in advanced technology fields

• Works across disciplines to invigorate teaching and address student recruitment and retention

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• Overall, the ATE program boosted the academic momentum of technicians and the technological know-how of the nation during a six-year survey period* by– Developing more than 5,000 different educational materials that

were aligned with workforce needs and industry standards– Creating more than 2,000 two-year college programs, 16,800

two-year college courses and 1,500 secondary school courses, 150 baccalaureate programs and 800 courses, and 2,000 articulation agreements

– Offering programs at approximately 4,900 locations that reached 320,000 two-year college students, 48,000 secondary school students, and 6,000 students at baccalaureate institutions

– Providing professional development opportunities to more than 80,000 educators

The Advanced Technological Education program…

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Weld-Ed History

• ATE project with Ohio State University– Curriculum

• ATE Center planning grant– Plan out need for, and operations of, the

Center– Industry participation and feedback

• ATE Center Proposal 0703018

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Weld-Ed Center Grant

• Initial four year grant – $5,000,000

• Possibility for 3-4 year extension– Reduced level of funding (50% of initial)

• Sustainability beyond NSF– Business plan– Projects– Other sources of funding

• Industry associations• Membership

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Weld-Ed Mission

VisionWeld-Ed is a national partnership of colleges, universities, professional societies, government, and private industry committed to increasing the number and quality of welding and materials joining technicians to meet industry demand.

MissionWeld-Ed strives to improve the quality of education and training services to address the hiring and professional development needs of the welding industry.

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Weld-Ed Partners

• Lorain County Community College - Lead• Educational partner institutions

– Provide for dissemination of Weld-Ed educational products and provide information to the center from local business and educational contacts

• Industry partners• Other collaborators (NSF, national

organizations)

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Educational Partners

• Grant years 1 through 4– Ferris State University– Pennsylvania College of Technology– Texas State Technical College– North Dakota Science College– The Ohio State University

• Years 3 & 4– An additional 4 colleges/universities will be

added

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Educational Partners(cont.)

• Partner criteria included:– current program makeup– industries served– degrees awarded– affiliation and involvement with AWS – potential for addressing industry needs

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Industry Partners

• Caterpillar• Northrop-Grumman• US Army / Marine Corp – Aberdeen• US Navy Joining Center• Lockheed Martin• Nelson Stud Welding• Welding equipment manufacturers• Others to be included as appropriate

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Industry Associations

• American Welding Society (AWS)

• WEMCO and RWMA groups of AWS

• National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM)

• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

• Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC)

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Other Collaborators• NSF ATE Centers

– NCME – manufacturing resources– CAPT (Captech) – processing industry– CARCAM – automotive manufacturing– MatEd – materials science– SpaceTec – aerospace technicians– Additional Centers are linked as needed

• CORD (Center for Occupational Research and Design)

• NCATC (National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers)

• American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)

• League for Innovation in the Community College

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Weld-Ed Goals

Goal #1 - Increase the number of welding technicians to meet workforce needs.– traditional and non-traditional

individuals

Goal #2 - Make significant gains towards the comprehensive reform of welding education.– Share best practices and curriculum

Goal #3 - Enhanced faculty professional development and continuing education.– Many welding educators are not degree holders

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Weld-Ed Goals continued

Goal #4 - Ensure the effective and efficient management of the Weld-Ed Center and operations. Establish effective reporting and evaluation of program objectives.

Goal #5 - Ensure the sustainability of Weld-Ed and its operations beyond the NSF grant period.

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Challenges to the welding industry

• Turnover / retirements

• Even with automation, skilled welders still needed (500,000 over the next 5 years)

• Average age is 56

• Approximately 95% of all manufactured products require some sort of welding / materials joining

• Infrastructure growth will require more skilled welders – nuclear power plants

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Challenges to the welding industry

• Image problems

• Misconceptions about today’s welding / materials joining industry

• Misconceptions about manufacturing in general

21Developed by Ernest Levert of Lockheed Martin

What is a skill panel?

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Skill panels are…

• A group of local individuals representing various aspects of the workforce system– Industry representatives– Educational representatives

• High schools/vocational schools• Community colleges

– Economic development representatives– Local WIB members– Local government representatives

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Purpose of the Skill Panel

The purpose of the skills panel is to gather“forward” industry workforce needs data.

Weld-Ed focuses: • Welders• Welding operators• Welding technicians • Welding Inspectors• Welding engineers

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What are the differences?

Advisory Boards• Historical data• Follows someone

else’s lead• Guidance based• Program focused

Skill panels• Forward data• Members lead the

discussion• Activity based• Industry focused

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National Weld-Ed Skill Panel Meeting #1

• The first meeting of the Weld-Ed National Skill Panel occurred in Washington, DC at the National Center for Higher Education on March 27, 2008.

• The day long meeting resulted in a course of action that the Skill Panel will follow a period of 18 months.

• The highlights of the meeting follows…….

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Questions to be answered

1. Identify short Term hiring needs of the welding industry (up to 2 years).

2. Identify mid-term hiring needs of the welding industry (3-6 years).

3. Identify long-term hiring needs of the welding industry (7+ years).

4. What impact are baby boomer retirements having on the welding workforce?

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Questions to be answered

5. What technological improvements or new welding/material joining techniques will impact future employment?

6. What technological advancements in welding equipment will impact future employment?

7. What other factors will impact the future of the welding and materials joining industry?

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Questions to be answered

8. What other national trends will impact the industry?

9. What domestic factors impact competitiveness in the welding/materials joining industry?

10.What global factors impact competitiveness in the welding/materials joining industry?

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Questions to be answered

11. What role could economic development play in improving the industry’s competitiveness?

12. What role could government sponsored programs such as those from the U.S. Department of Labor play in improving competitiveness?

13. Have there been any educational programs offered by colleges, universities, or equipment manufacturers that have significantly impacted your industry?

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How the informationwill be used

• The employment information that is gathered will be analyzed and the identified needs will be matched against existing welding and materials joining courses and programs that are offered by the education community.

• The employment information will also be shared with the educational community to create awareness of the industry’s need.

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How the informationwill be used

• The employment information will also be shared with government and foundations to make them aware of the needs of the industry.

• New curricula that is needed will result in Weld-Ed or one of its educational partners seeking funds from NSF or other sources to develop the curriculum.

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How the informationwill be used

• The economic development information will form the basis for strategies for the economic development/chamber of commerce community to support the needs of the industry.

• That information will also be used to help facilitate and inform an on-going dialogue between the industry and economic development community.

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How the informationwill be used

• The information that is gathered about trends, domestic and international factors that influence competitiveness will be analyzed and used to inform the industry, government and legislators regarding positive and negative influences on the industry.

• It is hoped that this information will also form the basis for on-going dialogues between AWS, the industry, related associations, and appropriate federal government agencies and Congress.

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How the informationwill be used

• The overall information will be used to form the basis for the report on the “State of the Welding Industry in the United States”.

• The report will also include regional information that will be gathered by the five regional skill panels.

• This effort will take 18 months starting from March 08.• The national panel will meet two more times in person as

well as by conference call every 4-6 weeks.• We also anticipate breaking the Panel into

subcommittees to address some of the issues and activities as we move through the Skill Panel process.

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Industry Competency Models – DOL

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Industry Competency Models – DOL

• The panel will work with the staff to complete the fourth and fifth tiers of the competency pyramid (we will be a beta test group for this activity).

• We complete those tiers for three specific occupations: welders; welding technicians; and, welding engineers.

• We will also work to complete tiers 6, 7 and 8 which primarily address management related to the three occupations with our university partners. This will be done by completing a career ladder lattice.

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Industry Competency Models - MSSC

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Industry Competency Models – MSSC

• Fits into the fourth tier of the DOL competency model.

• Developed specifically for the manufacturing industry.

• Defines knowledge, skills, and performance needed by frontline workers.

• Standards reflect the needs of high- performance & best practice workplaces.

Initial Research

Weld-Ed Webinar Meeting

May 29, 2008

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Factors to Consider

• Long-term demand for workers

• Short-term demand for workers

• Supply of trained workers

• Other considerations affecting balance– Wages– Retirements– Industry image– Availability of instructors

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Welding Occupations

• Welders– Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (51-4121)– Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setters, Operators, and

Tenders (51-4122)

• Welding Technicians– Engineering Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other (17-3029)

• Welding Inspectors– Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers (51-9061.00)

• Welding Engineers– Materials Engineers (17-2131)

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Short-Term Projections

• Short-term projections have been derived from information from the “Job Central” employment database.

• This database replaced “America’s Job Bank” and is operated with funds from Fortune 1000 companies.

• 47 of the 50 states have their employment opportunities listed on this database as part of their public workforce development system.

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Short-Term Projections

• The following jobs snapshot is from Job Central on May 9, 2008:– Welders – 5,500 listed on an average day, 950 new

jobs listed per week– Welding Technicians – 440 listed on an average day,

70 new jobs listed per week– Welding Inspectors – 150 listed on an average day,

20-25 new listings per week– Welding Engineer – 365 listed on an average day, 60

new listings per week.

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National Long-term Outlook

Welders (data for both welding occupations)

• Employment Growth of 5%

• Projected Employment 484,100 by 2016

• Annual Average Openings 11,910 (due to growth and replacement needs

• Average Wage $16.00 per hour/ $33,00 annually

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National Long-term Outlook

Engineering technicians, except drafters • Employment Growth of 2%• Projected Employment 83,400 by 2016 • Annual Average Openings 1,760 (due to

growth and replacement needs• Average Wage $ 26.08 per hour/ $54,200

annually• Estimated that Welding Technicians make

up about 35% of the occupation

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National Long-term Outlook

Welding Inspectors

• Negative Employment Growth of -7%

• Projected Employment 456,800 by 2016

• Annual Average Openings 7,280 (due to growth and replacement needs)

• Average Wage $ 15.86 per hour/ $32,980 annually

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National Long-term Outlook

Welding Engineers

• Employment Growth of 4%

• Projected Employment 22,500 by 2016

• Annual Average Openings 590 (due to growth and replacement needs

• Average Wage $ 37.90 per hour/ $ 78,840 annually

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Short-term Outlook

• National short-term projections not available

• State short-term projections vary by:– Availability– Time frame– Industry vs. occupational

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Short and Mid-term Outlook

Short-term outlook is best indicated by observable factors:

• Planned economic development activity

• Industry growth/decline

• Planned infrastructure revitalization

• Natural disasters

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Welding Industry

2 out of 3 welding jobs or 66% are found in Manufacturing

• Fabricated Metal Product (232) • Metal Working and Machinery (233)• Transportation Equipment (236)

Another 10% are found in Construction• Specialty Trade Contractors (238)

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Supply of Trained Workers

Welding Technologies Programs

• 692 Schools in 47 States reported – 9658 program completers

• Apprenticeship Programs reported1890 completers

Approximate total of 10,000 trained per year

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Supply/DemandComparison

• National openings – over 12,000

• National program completers – 10,000

• Programs in Welding Technologies also is part of the supply for Welding Technicians and Inspectors

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Most Reported Program Completers

• Georgia• Texas• Oklahoma• Florida• North Carolina

• Kentucky• Washington• California• Illinois• Arkansas

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Welding Skills Comparison

• Common and advanced types of welding

• Variety of materials

• Automated welding

• Cutting

• Brazing and Coating

• New technologies

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Contact Information

• Ken Smith – Weld-Ed PI/Center Director– ksmith@lorainccc.edu– 440-366-7027

• Robert Visdos – Workforce Institute– rvisdos@workforceinstitute.com– 571-214-5239