Over the next decade, the U.S will be bringing online highly sophisticated manufacturing facilities to compete with overseas suppliers and take control of our supply chain.  We not only need to prepare a functional engineering workforce to support it, we must also have a workforce that is able to service build and service these facilities.  Currently, men and women working in the trades (plumbers, electricians, etc.) are not able to fully fill this need, and we must include them in the educational plan to ensure that we produce a complete workforce for the complex future needs of the manufacturing industry.   We propose to create this workforce through proven teaching methodologies that the BUILD Foundation personnel have developed over more than 20 years of training military personnel with technician and trades backgrounds.  The core of the training is to work in collaborative multidisciplinary teams to build facilities and design sophisticated technology solutions that are manufactured and deployed in the most challenging operational environments.  

Program Objectives

• Introduce Engineering Concepts:  This program is not designed to teach personnel in the trades to be engineers.  The separation comes with the in-depth mathematical basis that comes with an engineering degree.  That is not our goal.  However, through our experience in educating technician-level personnel to perform at a higher level, we have a proven track record of teaching engineering and scientific principles to non-engineers in the trades.  

• Facilitate Collaboration:  Training as part of a multi-disciplinary team with a design and manufacturing goal is the best way to prepare for the modern workforce.  Our program enables plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and others to directly work with engineers and scientists to set up facilities, support testing and evaluation, and interface with outside contractors.   

• Develop Effective Communication:  In order to be successful in collaborating with people of various backgrounds, they must be able to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing.  The BUILD program is designed to encourage this through both real-world interactions, and formal training.  They will be responsible for presenting plans and schedules to both engineers and scientists as well as program/financial managers.  

• Learn Advanced Core Skills:  Augmenting their existing skillsets with advanced training specific to more sophisticated working environments will allow them to transition from contemporary environments such as commercial and housing construction to the semiconductor fabrication facilities.  These core skills will require foundations in engineering and scientific principles in a way that is light on mathematics and sufficient in necessary principles.  This will be taught through extensive hands-on experiences integrated into classroom learning environments.

Program Components

The components of this program work together to allow students to gain the individual skills needed, and they apply these skills in a diverse, multidisciplinary team environment.  The idea is to engage early in a team project involving all disciplines, while also engaging in the independent classroom and hands-on learning environment.  

• Fundamentals:  Students will engage in classroom learning in scientific and engineering principles.  The classroom learning will be interactive, conceptual, and hands-on to ensure students are engaged and expanding their understanding of their working environment.  The program is run in cooperation with local industry, so it is tailored for the needs of hte local community. Concepts such as basic electricity, fluid dynamics, and mechanics will be introduced in a proven and successful way based on our past experience with military personnel of similar backgrounds.  Mathematics are de-emphasized compared to an engineering program, but we have found that basic mathematical principles from a middle school and high school level are introduced and leveraged very successfully.  This combination is a powerful addition to those working in the trades.

• Building and Designing:  The students will be challenged to independently design and build solutions to problems that will be relevant to their work in the manufacturing world.  These projects will be a combination of independent and small team projects that will allow them to think independently to put into practice the concepts learned in the Fundamentals part.

• Team Integration:  In this section, the students will be fully immersed in teams that are engaged in larger scale practical projects focused on meeting a manufacturing goal.  Teams will include everyone from program/business managers, engineers, scientists, and engineers.  Specific tasks will be taken on by these students to assist in the overall objectives, and they will be required to communicate, develop plans, coordinate with other members of the team, and execute the tasks.

Program Implementation

Combining the highly successful training methodologies the BUILD Foundation personnel have executed over the last 20 years, with our experience preparing new engineers for the workforce has positioned us fully prepare a diverse group of people working in the trades for the modern sophisticated work environments. Implementing this will require appropriate facilities, personnel, and integration planning.

• Facilities:  Purpose-built facilities will be integrated with our rapid workforce development and mentor training facilities to allow for both collaborative and focused trade-specific learning.  

• Curriculum Development:  Design and develop a curriculum framework aligned with national and state standards for trade schools, while incorporating advanced learning objectives to meet future manufacturing needs.  

• Mentor Training:  Specific facilities will be dedicated to training the mentors who will be responsible for fostering the real-world learning environment with contemporary projects and concepts that are applicable to their current work in the industries.  Mentors are recruited and trained to be outside experts who actively work in industry in order to maintain currency and relevance to the growing needs of the workforce.  

• Resource Acquisition:  Secure funding and resources for equipment, materials, and technology tools necessary for the hands-on projects and activities.

• Partnerships and Collaboration:  Forge partnerships with industry partners, trade schools, manufacturing plants, and community stakeholders to enhance students learning experiences, and to provide a pathway to employment opportunities and/or advancement opportunities.  

• Assessment and Evaluation:  Implement assessment tools to measure students’ progress, engagement, and achievement in the learning outcomes.  Use feedback to continuously improve the program.  

Program Approach

Using our past experience in creating these learning environments, we will organize the rapid build-out of classroom and design spaces that fit the needs of the learning objectives.  The goal is to do this in conjunction with our Build the Workforce program to train newly graduated engineers.  The idea is for these communities to interact throughout their learning experience, and the facilities will be established to accomplish this goal.  We have done this before.  Curriculum development, recruiting/hiring, and mentor training will be done simultaneously.  

Conclusion

Training personnel in the trades for integration into the current and future sophisticated manufacturing industries will require the addition of new technical skills, but equally important will be the ability to effectively navigate these environments and interactions with a diverse range of people and backgrounds.  Leveraging more than 20 years of educating similar personnel in the military Special Operations communities has uniquely positioned The BUILD Foundation to quickly implement a plan and facilities to produce the next generation of trades workforce.  We seek to create an energized workforce with advancement potential and integrated opportunities to graduate into advanced learning and engineering/science degree programs.  We have seen this model work, and there are many former trade specialists who are now degreed engineers working in industry as a result of the mentoring and education they got as enlisted military personnel.

Summary: What’s in this for you?

The BUILD Trades program positions you to practice your trade as full members of elite technical dream teams working closely with engineers to fulfill requirements only such teams can achieve.