How do you effectively prepare high school students for the manufacturing jobs of today and tomorrow? If you’re Chardon High School career and technical education (CTE) instructors Tracey Britt and Kim Butala, you partner with Amatrol and Buckeye Educational Systems to create what Taneisha Cordell from ABC News 5 Cleveland calls “a technology playground.” According
Virtual simulator is a common term used to define everything from aircraft flight simulators to interactive games. In manufacturing training, virtual simulators refer to interactive software that closely mimics the operation of machines, tools, or systems. They imitate their real-world counterparts to such a close degree that they allow the transfer of real-world skills. While
When I was but a wee youngster, I vividly remember thinking about the future and wondering what marvels I would see in my lifetime. For some reason, I was certain that flying cars would be the norm by now. Of course, today’s automobiles are still firmly grounded, although many of them are now electric. Can
Major federal legislation coupled with recent industrial trends point to the potential for a resurgence of growth in the United States’ manufacturing sector. In particular, this growth centers on those embracing smart technology, or what has become known as Industry 4.0. The decade leading up to the COVID-19 crisis (2010-2019) saw 1.3 million manufacturing jobs
Which career paths capture the imaginations of students trying to chart a course for their lives? The answers change over time. Kids who possibly dreamed of being a fireman or a police officer when they were young often broaden their options as they are exposed to more careers over time. As students age, they find
What’s your dream job? When instructors ask their students this question, the answers will likely span a wide variety of careers. For some, “professional gamer” or “social media influencer” may seem like the perfect way to spend their days. Of course, those opportunities tend to be few and far between. Those who set their sights
Click HERE to view this article as a multimedia presentation. Whether you work in industry or a career and technical education (CTE) program, there’s a set of buzzwords you’ve probably heard frequently over the last couple of years. They include Industry 4.0, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and Smart Factory, to
Click HERE to view this article as a multimedia presentation. On September 23, 2019, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) released its most recent NAM Manufacturers’ Outlook Survey (the “NAM Survey”) for the third quarter of 2019. Unfortunately, the survey results revealed a continuing decline in business confidence. In the first quarter of 2019, 89.5%
Click HERE to view IGNITE: How To Spark Student Interest and Light the Fire that Leads to Career Success as a multimedia presentation. Amatrol is pleased to introduce educators to IGNITE: Mastering Manufacturing, a new program that equips high school students with the in-depth knowledge and hands-on skills they need to be successful in the highly-skilled,
Click HERE to view Supply Chain 4.0: How to Attract and Develop Skilled Workers for the Digital Supply Chain as a multimedia presentation. The Fourth Industrial Revolution continues to transform the way industries across the board do business today. The technological advances that characterize Industry 4.0 are also reshaping the supply chain, creating a new “Supply Chain
For much of the past two decades, China has been referred to as the Factory of the World due to sheer amount of products that are manufactured there. This shift has turned a mostly agrarian society into a country with the largest middle class on Earth; a change that began with the widespread integration of
Click HERE to view New Study Supports the Promise of Apprenticeship as a multimedia presentation. Today’s manufacturers just can’t seem to catch a break. For years, they’ve been battling an ongoing skills gap that has made it very difficult for them to hire the skilled workers they need to fill their open positions and seize
