Three higher education institutions in Missouri are working together to modernize the state’s manufacturing industry and develop its workforce. There is $9.1 million available in Missouri’s fiscal year 2025 budget to support their efforts.

“Missouri urgently needs more engineering and technology students trained in emerging advanced manufacturing technologies to address the workforce shortage in this industry,” said Dr. Richard Billo, director of Missouri S&T’s Kummer Institute Center for Advanced Manufacturing. “We are excited to work closely with our colleagues in the state’s community colleges to enhance the workforce and help our state’s manufacturers become and remain globally competitive with innovative products and processes.”

The funding comes as part of the MoExcels Workforce Initiative of the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Missouri S&T will serve as the lead institution for the project, titled “Bridging the Manufacturing Critical Skills Gap.” Partner institutions include East Central College (ECC) and St. Charles Community College (SCC).

An advisory panel of manufacturing executives provided S&T with a list of critical skills their companies and others need. Based on these recommendations, S&T will modernize its undergraduate manufacturing degree program and incorporate new technologies and equipment to ensure the university’s education and training is well-aligned with the needs of Missouri manufacturers.

S&T will also host manufacturing summer camps for students and manufacturing professional development initiatives for K-12 teachers.

The university’s Kummer Center for STEM Education and SCC will visit hundreds of elementary schools with S&T’s STEM Mobile – a STEM outreach vehicle that will be filled with manufacturing training equipment – ​​providing hands-on experiences to thousands of Missouri students as young as nine years old .

East Central College

ECC will build a Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which will be part of its new campus in Rolla. The facility, which will include state-of-the-art equipment, classrooms and laboratory space, is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

This will enable ECC to offer more opportunities for short-term qualifications, one-year certificates and two-year degrees in manufacturing.

Dr. Jon Bauer, president of ECC, says the three institutions’ close ties around a shared mission can serve as a model for how other schools can come together at the state level.

“East Central College, Missouri S&T and St. Charles Community College all work hard to make Missouri businesses competitive and provide students with the skills and experience they need to be employed in great industry positions,” says farmer. “This is a goal everyone should get behind, and we appreciate the support we have received from our other higher education institutions and the state of Missouri.”

St. Charles Community College

SCC will participate in joint K-12 outreach efforts with Missouri S&T, focusing on rural areas to increase awareness of the manufacturing profession and various career paths.

The St. Charles County-based college also plans to develop a new manufacturing curriculum focused on new energy technologies. SCC will work with S&T on a strategy that leverages dual enrollment programs, internships and continuing education courses to optimize student progress from high schools to community colleges and universities to industry roles.

“We look forward to continuing to raise awareness about the advanced manufacturing industry and how Missourians can be a part of it,” says Dr. Barbara Kavalier, President of the SCC. “This is a highly rewarding career field for our graduates, and workforce development will also benefit the state’s economy.”

About Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university with over 7,000 students in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri system, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the top public universities in the country for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.