ERIE, Pa. — A $4.4 million partnership with the Department of Defense and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) has expanded metals-based manufacturing programs at Penn State Behrend, including youth programs.
Behrend’s College for Kids, a six-week summer enrichment program for youth ages 6 to 14, now includes a metal-casting course. Students create sand molds, which are used to cast metal objects.
The class is part of a three-year initiative — the Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning program, or METAL — that is designed to address a shortage of skilled labor in the manufacturing sector. Nearly one-fourth of the manufacturing workforce is 55 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By 2030, more than 2 million manufacturing jobs will be unfilled, according to Manufacturing USA.