Future of the Technician Workforce Study

The Ten-Year Vision for the Future Workforce The Economic and Workforce Development Center at Monroe Community College (MCC) works with regional workforce partners to proactively address shortages in the educational pipeline and skills gaps in the existing workforce using a data informed approach. MCC outlined the following vision to guide the development of its workforce development strategy over the next decade in relation to addressing the education and training of an Industry 4.0 technician workforce in the Finger Lakes economy. Establish a pipeline of highly skilled technicians whose qualifications in flexible, intelligent, and autonomous technologies promote economic prosperity and global competitiveness throughout the greater Finger Lakes region of Upstate NY. To achieve this vision, MCC and its partners will:  continuously adapt to rapidly evolving trends in industrial production and manufacturing technologies  prepare highly qualified technicians to use flexible, intelligent, and autonomous industry production technologies  integrate with regional employers to facilitate partnerships and investment opportunities while ensuring curricula and training are commensurate with hiring needs  provide a workforce development model that regional businesses, educators, and communities will follow to promote economic prosperity and global competitiveness This report , which serves primarily as an informational resource for MCC and its workforce development partners, focuses on the first two objectives of MCC’s larger workforce development effort .

Table 1: Goals and objectives of this study.

GOALS

OBJECTIVES

Collaborate with local business in key industry sectors across the Finger Lakes region.

 Determine the regional impacts of Industry 4.0 and transformative technologies on Finger Lakes regional businesses.  Identify the future technological competency, knowledge, and skill requirements of regional employers.  Identify workforce training partnership and investment opportunities (i.e., teaching and advisory roles, shared equipment, apprenticeships).  Identify and secure funding to purchase equipment for training purposes.  Train faculty members and educators to design and implement new and modified curricula.  Develop a knowledge management process for storing, accessing, tracking, and maintaining MCC workforce development activities and information.  Modify existing or develop new curricula and training programs.  Establish interdisciplinary or cross-functional programs.  Monitor and adopt new and emerging certifications from industry to leverage for curricula and degree programs.

Inform the development of a new workforce training center for Industry 4.0.

Increase the number of skilled and experienced technicians in line with hiring needs of Finger Lakes regional employers.

The Future of the Technician Workforce Study

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