{"id":916,"date":"2019-06-25T17:23:30","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T00:23:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/?p=916"},"modified":"2019-06-25T17:23:30","modified_gmt":"2019-06-26T00:23:30","slug":"unique-maker-skills-academy-launches-in-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/training\/unique-maker-skills-academy-launches-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Unique Maker Skills Academy launches in California"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On<strong>\n<\/strong>June 11<sup>th<\/sup> 2019, <em>&nbsp;<\/em>I\nreceived a press release announcing the\nlaunch of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vocademy.com\/Maker-Skills-Academy\">Vocademy<\/a> <strong>Maker\nSkills Academy <\/strong>(MSA)<strong>\n\u2014 <\/strong>a one-of-a-kind, hands-on skills training program. This intensive program\ncovers many of the vocational, career, and soft skills that are no longer\ntaught in our schools. The kinds of skills thousands of employers are seeking. The\nprogram is available to anyone over the age of 16, with no prerequisites,\ntranscripts, or GPA requirements.&nbsp; The\nfirst ten-student MSA team starts July 8<sup>th<\/sup>, so enrollment is now open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is well documented that there\nis a massive skills gap in traditional and advanced manufacturing in America\ntoday. In past articles, I\u2019ve mentioned that an estimated one to two million\ngood-paying manufacturing jobs are going unfilled due to a lack of people with\nthe right skills. There are also thousands\nof&nbsp;young&nbsp;adult makers looking for&nbsp;effective alternatives&nbsp;to\ncollege. The press release states: \u201cAn\nideal solution has not existed \u2026until today. This truly unique type program\naddresses the desperate needs of thousands of employers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2016, I wrote an article\nabout Vocademy when it was essentially a traditional makerspace open to the\npublic and beginning to offer skills training classes to high school students\nduring the day. During that visit, founder and president Gene Sherman told me,\n\u201cI started Vocademy because I had witnessed the demise of hands-on\nskills teaching in this country over the past 20 years.\nSchools have done away with these critical classes that taught practical life\nskills like woodworking and metal shop. These were the classes where people\nlearned how to use tools and technology and develop the mindsets necessary to\ncreate new and amazing things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I saw &#8216;makerspaces&#8217; springing up, I wanted to\ncombine that type space with teaching the kinds of skills that were previously\ntaught in &#8216;shop&#8217; classes. I wanted to create a place for those who want to use\ntheir hands, in addition to their minds ? makers, inventors, and dreamers. I\nbelieve that if our country loses its ability to make and build things, we will\nhave lost what made America great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wanted to provide access to these tools, but with\nproper and practical instruction on how to use them correctly and safely. I\nwanted a place that teaches the most state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques,\nnot just traditional shop skills. I wanted to teach these important skills\nwithout the bureaucracy of academia because many more Americans should have the\nsame opportunity to innovate, collaborate, learn, and create their\ndreams.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;I visited Vocademy, located in Riverside, CA,\non June 20<sup>th<\/sup> and interviewed Gene to find out more about the\ntransformation from a makerspace to a skills discovery and training center. &nbsp;Gene said, \u201cEmployers today are looking for\nthose with a breadth of hands-on and soft skills. They want generalists and not\nspecialists because the economy and workplace are changing at a rapid\npace. &nbsp;We have created the Maker Skills Academy to\nmeet the needs of a career-centric workforce. Our goals are to teach real world\nskills, get our students career ready, and show them the amazing opportunities\nin the world of making. We\u2019re looking forward to changing lives and creating\nthe makers of the future. The program only takes six-months to complete. We do\nthis by including over 90 fundamental classes in real-world subjects,\u201d such as:<br>\n<br>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>3D\nPrinting and Computer Aided Design<\/li><li>Laser\nCutting and Engraving<\/li><li>Sewing\nand Textiles<\/li><li>Plastics,\nVacuum forming, and Composites<\/li><li>Costume,&nbsp;Prop,\n3D Papercraft, and Model Making<\/li><li>Fundamental\nElectronics, Soldering, Raspberry Pi and Arduino.<\/li><li>Robotics,\nAutomation, and Hardware Programming.<\/li><li>Machine\nShop Basics and CNC machining<\/li><li>Welding,\nFabrication, and assembly<\/li><li>Wood\nWorking.<\/li><li>Hand\nTools, Power Tools, and support equipment&nbsp;<\/li><li>Life\nand career soft skills for manufacturing, engineering, entrepreneurship and\nmany other jobs<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He emphasized that \u201cby including\nthe soft skills classes employers are seeking, the Maker Skills Academy is the\nperfect way to prepare for jobs in advanced manufacturing and other maker\ncareers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And unlike any other training\nprograms or schools, MSA students will also have access to using our equipment\nevery single evening to practice their skills, collaborate, create amazing\nresumes, and&nbsp;build capstone projects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Gene led me on a tour of\ntheir facility, he explained, \u201cClasses have minimal theory or history and lean\nheavily toward hands-on, practical skills learning. There are only eight to ten\nstudents per MSA team. We have a high instructor-to-student ratio for effective\nand intimate learning of skills. Our modern facility has over $500,000 of\ntraditional and state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the tour, I saw that Gene\nhad upgraded the 3D printing lab with all industrial machines rather than the\nhobby-type machines previously in the lab.&nbsp;\nHe had also upgraded to industrial sewing machines from the home-type\nmachines he had previously, and there were now two cutting machines in the\nlaser workroom. There were two new park bench projects in the fabrication\nworkroom that the students had built themselves to utilize their metal fab and\nwoodworking skills. He showed me the Little Free Libraries projects that are being placed in front of homes in neighborhoods, which are\nthe capstone projects for the woodworking class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gene said that the Maker Skills\nAcademy is perfect for those looking for:<br>\n<br>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>a\nunique alternative to college, with real job and life skills<\/li><li>an\nideal learning program to explore a multitude of maker skills<\/li><li>an\neffective pre-engineering program before entering university<\/li><li>an\nintensive course in maker skills for entrepreneurs or inventors<\/li><li>a\nset of job skills that will make STEM or maker careers future-proof<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The website provides the\nfollowing description of what is included in the Maker Space Academy program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Six\nmonths of subjects and classes designed by industry experts and based on\nreal-world needs of companies. <\/li><li>All\nraw materials, tools, and supplies the student will need for the classes in\nthis program. <\/li><li>Six\nmonths of maker lab access with use of all equipment the student has been\ntrained to use. 7-days-a-week, 5-10pm.<\/li><li>A\nVocademy Maker Academy work shirt, basic measuring and hands tool set, a shop\napron, and safety glasses.<\/li><li>An\nincredibly creative environment, surrounded by other makers, students, and\nengineers.<\/li><li>An\nIntellectual Property (IP) free facility. Student developed products or\ninventions are the property of the student.<\/li><li>A\nunique learning experience for anyone seeking to become more valuable to the\nworld.<\/li><li>To\ndevelop an amazing set of skills for a career, personal enrichment, or for\nentering engineering schools.<\/li><li>Student\ngraduates will receive Vocademy Certificates of Completion for every subject\ncompleted.<\/li><li>The\nopportunity to collaborate and work on your projects or ideas using modern and\ntraditional industrial equipment.<\/li><li>To\ncreate an incredible resume full of projects, practical skills, and hands-on\nexperience.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I asked what was expected of students,\nand Gene replied, \u201cThere are no mid-terms or finals. Students must commit to\nclasses, self-guided learning, and the creation of projects. They sign a\nCommitment Pledge to put forth their best effort to ensure a successful\nlearning experience. Students must be willing to continue self-guided depth\nlearning and skills practice during maker lab hours and personal time. And, students\nare expected to complete a final capstone project for their maker\nportfolio\/resume either solo or as part of a team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I asked what his future\ngoal is, he said, I want the Maker Skills Academy to be the choice of\nmanufacturers for training employees, both existing and those being hired.&nbsp; I want the MSA to be considered as the \u201cOlympic\ntraining center\u201d for manufacturing skills. I envision local manufacturers\nbecoming partners with Vocademy for their employee training.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I told him that I hope he\nrealizes his goal because programs like his would go a long way in\nsolving the skills gap and attracting the next generation of manufacturing\nworkers.&nbsp; It\nis critical that we get back to being a nation of &#8220;makers&#8221; as\nmanufacturing is the foundation of the middle class, and our middle class has\nbeen shrinking for the last 30 years as we moved more and more manufacturing\noffshore.&nbsp; &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On June 11th 2019, &nbsp;I received a press release announcing the launch of the Vocademy Maker Skills Academy (MSA) \u2014 a one-of-a-kind, hands-on skills training program. This intensive program covers many of the vocational, career, and soft skills that are no longer taught in our schools. The kinds of skills thousands of employers are seeking. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,51,37,180],"tags":[240,238,181],"class_list":["post-916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","category-manufacturing","category-training","category-workforce-development","tag-manufacturing-skills","tag-skills-gap","tag-workforce-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":917,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916\/revisions\/917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/savingusmanufacturing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}