Myth No. 2: Manufacturing jobs have a similar low-skilled profile, with limited opportunities.
Reality: "The reality is that today's manufacturing workers are as likely to operate robots as they are wrenches, and use math more than muscle—this isn't your grandpa's factory floor," Sen. Klobuchar said in her email.
A report released this February from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute, citing 84 percent of manufacturing executives, said there is a significant talent shortage in the sector. Between now and 2022, the manufacturing sector will need to fill 2.2 million openings for production workers. Half a million of those openings will be for engineers, and an untold number of job openings will be for new, emerging occupations.
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In an effort to address this shortage and improve manufacturing technologies, President Obama created the Nationwide Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI). It works with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on a network of manufacturing hubs that receive government funding and private-matching funds and connect to colleges and universities to educate and train workers in technology—whether automotive aeronautics or textiles—that will be necessary for the future.
Dr. Frank W. Gayle, deputy director of the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (AMNPO), which administers the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, said, "You don't need an engineering degree, or even any degree, to work in advanced manufacturing, although of course it is helpful. We want kids to know that these jobs are available, that they are plentiful, and they lead to a rewarding and reliable career."
Gayle said there are a handful of regional centers operational right now, but the initiative is expanding nationwide, with 45 centers planned over the next 10 years.