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Accelerating the development of the workforce through collaboration and sharing of best practices
from SME IMPACT REPORT
by SME
No one organization can solve manufacturing’s workforce challenge by itself. It takes a community approach and strong collaboration for solutions to make an impact on a national scale.
• Sharing best practices is key for the industry to learn and evolve together. In May 2022, in tandem with the Smart Manufacturing Experience event, SME hosted tuX, the resurgence of its workforce training and development community event. Attended by representatives from industry, academia, government and workforce agencies, the best-practices conference highlighted the shared interests of the manufacturing community and brought discussions of solutions together in one collaborative forum.
• SME awarded its 2022 Excellence in Training Award to AGC Automotive North America. The Bellefontaine, Ohio, safety-glass manufacturer received the award in recognition of its exceptional commitment and dedication to upskill its workforce, enhance talent and prepare employees for successful industry careers.
To help share trends, best practices and pitfalls to avoid with industry and academia, SME staff and leaders participated in over 40 media interviews, podcasts and speaking engagements around the country in 2022
The SME team is joined in collaboration with hundreds of individuals from companies, academia, government and organizations alike, all of whom volunteer their time and expertise to contribute to the advancement of manufacturing for the betterment of the entire industry:
• The Smart Manufacturing Executive Council, a national “think-tank” for SMART technologies, launched in 2022 with over 20 industry leaders representing a wide scope of industries. Formation of the council highlighted a collaboration between SME and CESMII - The Smart Manufacturing Institute, to advocate for democratization of smart manufacturing.
• The SME Certification Oversight & Appeals Committee is dedicated to providing leadership on body of knowledge for industry-driven certifications and credentials.
• An Executive Roundtable of industry employers networks and shares challenges and ideas to address diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, advanced technology, finding workers, the retiring workforce and more.
Inspiring, preparing and supporting the next generation
The SME Education Foundation is the philanthropic arm of SME, serving the manufacturing industry by inspiring, preparing and supporting the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent. Philanthropy and learning coincide in the mission of the Foundation, which takes a three-pronged approach to feeding the talent pipeline.
