FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2018
Contact:
Sascha Harrell
Director, education and workforce development
IN-MaC
(765) 494-2278
smharrel@purdue.edu
Creating exposure and manufacturing industry awareness
Sixty-seven students and fourteen manufacturers across the state of Indiana successfully participated in Purdue University’s Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center (IN-MaC) summer paid internship program. Students came from various disciplines from Purdue University, Vincennes University, and Ivy Tech Community College. The internship program allowed students the opportunity to explore manufacturing careers and learn about the current workforce needs and expectations through hands-on experience and networking with industry professionals. The internship program provided opportunities in a variety of areas within manufacturing, including engineering, computer graphics, human resources, logistics, marketing, supervision, maintenance and machining.
Nathan Hartman, Dauch Family Professor of Advanced Manufacturing at Purdue Polytechnic Institute and co-executive director of IN-MaC, said, “The intern program assists in growing the talent pipeline in Indiana through relevant and timely learning experiences for students. Manufacturers are eager to invest their time and energy into the internship program and create value-based projects and experiences.”
“We’re introducing our next generation of engineers to the next-generation manufacturing field,” said Jan-Anders Mansson, distinguished professor of engineering at Purdue University and co-executive director of IN-MaC. “The manufacturing industry today is not just growing; it also offers many new high-tech jobs with its vast implementation of digital manufacturing technologies.”
“We appreciate IN-MaC’s commitment to supporting manufacturing internships, a key way for manufacturers to give students hands-on experience and exposure,” said Doug Mansfield, manufacturing president of Kirby Risk Corporation.
“IN-MaC has given Subaru of Indiana the experience of developing industry-ready students who will be better suited for the workforce upon graduation,” said Brad Rhorer, senior manager of Subaru of Indiana Automotive.
Bayley Goodman, a rising junior at Purdue University studying business marketing and sales, interned with Subaru of Indiana (SIA). “The internship at SIA was rewarding and provided me with a solid understanding of career opportunities within manufacturing,” said Goodman. “I also had the opportunity to develop technical skills while learning practical applications.”
“Working with INvets led me to thoroughly understand how to articulate what I have learned in my studies into the physical world interacting with notable clients, collaborating with prominent companies, and relay and communicate information effectively with our users,” said Kai Hardy Mangiaracina, a rising sophomore at Purdue University studying computer graphics and design engineering.
“Every single day gave me hands-on experience in a manufacturing setting with valuable work-based learning,” said Aaron Davey, a rising sophomore in the Advanced Internship in Manufacturing (AIM) program at Vincennes University.
“The internships reached across the state of Indiana to include OEMs, Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 organizations alongside supporting industry organizations. As advanced technologies and methods are adopted within the industrial manufacturing environment, the manufacturing industry needs to engage in the development and retention of a highly skilled workforce to ensure Indiana manufacturing will continue to be competitive for global growth and innovation,” Hartman said.
N-MaC continually supports the competitiveness and sustainability of the manufacturing sector to ensure job growth and economic prosperity in Indiana. These internships allow students to learn about different types of manufacturing job opportunities, as well as how to develop relevant skills tailored to the needs of the manufacturers.
Participating manufacturers included: Advent Precision Inc., Arconic Inc., C&T Engineering Inc., Caterpillar Inc, Conexus Indiana, Cook BioTech, Farbest Foods Inc., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, GE Aviation, Kirby Risk Corporation, Niagara Bottling, Schoot Gemtron, and Subaru of Indiana Automotive.
The IN-MaC Summer Internship Program is supported by IN-MaC, a joint center between Purdue’s Polytechnic Institute and College of Engineering.
Due to its overwhelming success in the summer of 2018, the program will increase internship opportunities in 2019 in response to the growing interest and need to expand student awareness and exposure to manufacturing careers across the state of Indiana.
Headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana, IN-MaC provides expertise in advanced manufacturing technologies and methods through its applied research programs, and provides technology and productivity solutions to manufacturers in partnership with the Indiana Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Through its education and workforce development program, IN-MaC provided a means for connecting college students to their desired prospective industry sectors by creating this summer internship program.
Sources:
Nathan Hartman, Dauch Family Professor of Advanced Manufacturing at Purdue University and co-executive director, Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center, nhartman@purdue.edu, 765-494-4585
Sascha Harrell, education and workforce development director, Indiana Next Generation Manufacturing Competitiveness Center, smharrel@purdue.edu
Brad Rhorer, senior manager of Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Bradley.Rhorer@subaru-sia.com
Doug Mansfield, manufacturing president of Kirby Risk, dmansfield@KirbyRisk.com