Great Lakes Advanced Manufacturing Collaboration

Sanilac County – The Great Lakes Advanced Manufacturing Collaboration was implemented by the Croswell/Lexington school district as another avenue for students to gain in-demand skills, and achieve high-paying careers. This concept was conceived as a pilot project at the Madison Heights school district by their High School Principal Dan Gilbertson, who is now the Superintendent at Croswell/Lexington. GLAMC provides industry-recognized credentials and certifications in robotics, CNC machining, and will soon add PLC controls to the mix. Through the Governor’s Marshall Plan for Talent, this concept will be replicated through five additional school districts in Michigan.

GLAMC provides training for adults and high school students and has recently been approved in Michigan as a high school CTE program. To maintain their status as a CTE program, GLAMC needs input from a Business Advisory Group, and GST Michigan Works! is fortunate to act as the Third Party Convener.  Due to the restrictions and uncertainty brought on by COVID, the Advisory Council had not met for close to a year.

With restrictions easing, GLAMC is planning for a very productive year. GSTMW hosted a combination Advisory Council Meeting and Manufacturing Forums,via Zoom. Representatives from six local companies participated, along with representatives from GLAMC and GST Michigan Works!. They discussed the evolutionary process of advancing through various stages of automation and robotics, and into Industry 4.0, and what are the emerging skill gaps, which include, data analysis, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Six Sigma was a specific skill/training that was indicated. Many companies are still adopting Industry 3.0, which includes automation, robotics, and CNC. The foundational knowledge of measurement, industrial processes, and machining, along with PLC controls, robotics, and CNC, will continue to be critical, with data analysis, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality growing as we move forward.

The partnership between the Manufacturing Forum at GST Michigan Works! and of GLAMC is and will continue to be instrumental in positioning our region for the jobs and industries of the future.

For more information about this project, or to get involved please contact:
Eldon Preston, Business Project Development – epreston@gstmiworks.org    | 810-648-5800 ext.516