A manufacturing lobbying group made a stop in Springfield to highlight the launch of a new major at University of Illinois Springfield related to the growth in automation.
The visit was part of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s “Makers on the Move” bus tour that seeks to celebrate October as Manufacturing Month and the growth of career opportunities in the industry.
“Today’s modern manufacturing involves AI, machine learning, robotics and amazing technology that improves productivity, eliminate waste, optimizes energy and creates newer and better products every single day,” said Mark Denzler, president and CEO of the Springfield-based Illinois Manufacturers’ Association.
He said the partnership with University of Illinois Springfield and Land of Lincoln Community College aims to fill the need for specialized training in the growing fields.
When Illinois Times asked about concerns that automation leads to job loss, Denzler highlighted the economic returns.
“We’ve seen increased productivity over the years, and manufacturing in Illinois is 14% of our state’s economy, the single largest share,” he said.
Travis Bland, dean of the College of Health, Science and Technology, said UIS’s new degree program — a bachelor of applied science in engineering technology — will draw students who may fear losing their employment due to being replaced by new technologies.
The program will “upscale them and prepare them for the next thing that the employer needs,” he said. “The reality is that manufacturing is not what you would call ‘dirty work’ anymore.”
It relies less on humans for labor and more so on “robotic working and system machinery working,” Bland said.
Students will be trained to “see when something breaks down, they’ll know how to fix it,” he said. “And, over time, they learn and improve the system. They’ll be able to work with the engineers on improving the design.”
Bland said one of the areas UIS will focus on in the next couple of years is the health technology sector. He said the school will be taking a closer look at the use of machines and robotics in performing blood tests.
The program is unique to others across the country in its focus on work-based learning that will allow students to earn credit for their work at a manufacturing site while learning closely from a professor to improve skills for their job, he said.
“So, it’s a work-and-learn model, which is much different. It allows the person who’s already employed to stay working, continue to earn an income and upskill at the same time,” Bland said.
He said the program is designed to be accessible to students who may otherwise not seek a degree in engineering.
“We are committed to taking students that may have not had the background or the experience they need to develop the math skills, the physics skills, the science skills — helping them catch up and be prepared for the workforce,” he said.
Dan Hoffman, interim president of the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center, state Sen. Doris Turner, U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski and UIS Chancellor Janet Gooch were among those who participated in IMA’s Springfield bus stop.