Oberg Pre-Apprentice Program Awarded by ARM

PITTSBURGH, PA – On May 1, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) ARM News announced its selection of 11 new education and workforce development projects, awarded to members of its national consortium. Pending final negotiations, ARM plans to provide more than $2.2M in funding with $7.8M in matching partner funds for a total investment of approximately $9.8M across the 11 projects.

Oberg Industries’ new ACE (Apprentice and Career Exploration) pre-apprentice program was one of the projects selected for expanding upon its successful PA-based, medium-sized manufacturer’s existing workforce blueprint to train high school students for potential careers in manufacturing. The specialized curriculum increases student knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math courses by demonstrating theory to practical application. Teachers from participating high schools will receive additional training and exposure from Oberg to current/future manufacturing processes. The ARM project expands upon the existing program by placing an emphasis on robotic applications in manufacturing. Like the ACE program, many of these projects are being developed and tested regionally; once proven, they will be available for implementation by ARM’s members nationwide.

These projects were selected from the ARM Fall 2018 project call that sought work and learn initiatives for transitioning military and underrepresented populations. The call also provided two open topic areas – one for work and learn and the other for talent attraction.

From ARM’s recent press release on this news, 43% of its 195+ member organizations are now actively involved with at least one funded project. When the negotiations are finalized for these 11 projects, ARM is expected to have a total of 40 projects in place since the organization’s formation in January 2017.

Project funding is one important method that ARM uses to advance manufacturing in the U.S. By having dedicated project calls, ARM seeks to address both the technology and workforce related issues limiting growth in the national manufacturing ecosystem. Selected projects kick-off at the regional level, with the possibility of scaling to a national scale.

“Our team is very excited about the potential of these projects to catalyze growth in US manufacturing. The consistent message we hear from manufacturers is that our nation’s workforce isn’t adequately skilled to sustain significant economic growth. We believe our selected projects, combined with previously awarded projects, help to address this issue,” stated ARM CEO, Dr. Byron Clayton.