Chicago, IL has a program designed to put Americans to work in
high-skill manufacturing jobs. Austin Polytechnical Academy is a public
school whose goal is to train U.S. students
for jobs in the exciting and quickly advancing world of skilled
industrial trades.
The International Manufacturing Technology Show is the largest such show
in the United States. In 1980, 90 percent of the exhibitors were
American companies. This number has fallen to about 10 percent. High
school students from Austin Polytechnical Academy recently visited the
show, where they were lectured by Bill Vogal, a school administrator and
former factory owner. Students also asked exhibitors about their
products and services. It was designed to be a good introduction to
globalized industry and encourage students to enter such fields after
graduation.
Austin Polytechnical Academy is located in a poor neighborhood, but is
Chicago's only career academy dedicated to high-skill manufacturing
occupations. It was founded in 2007 by Dan Swinney, chairman of the
Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council, as a Chicago Public Schools
"performance school." The Academy strives to redefine vocational
education, combining mechanical and engineering education to create a
new generation of advanced manufacturers that will hopefully breathe new
life into Chicago's manufacturing industry. Austin Polytechnical
Academy's first class will graduate this year. ?We?re proposing the
revitalization of this nation?s economy, and places like Austin should
be at the forefront of that, not left behind,? said Swinney.
The Chicago News Cooperative interviewed three honors students from the
program. Deandre Joyce, 17, who spent the summer interning with Hudson
Precision Products Company in Broadview, aims at a career in high-tech
manufacturing. Stran'ja Burge, 18, who is looking for careers that might
be outside of manufacturing, and currently taking advanced-placement
calculus. Marqulese Travae Booker, 17, who entered the Academy because
of its proximity to his home rather than for its educational direction
now hopes to go on to university and is considering a degree in
mechanical engineering.
The Academy's curriculum contains healthy amounts of liberal arts
courses, but students are required to graduate with two nationally
recognized manufacturing credentials given by the National Institute for
Metalworking Skills. Such documents demonstrate their competency to
potential employers in high-paying fields where entry-level salaries can
reach $65,000. ?We find in our education system to have a bias toward
college prep,? Mr. Vogal said. ?There are different options.?
The Academy's first graduated class will be watched closely by others
seeking to pursue similar educational programs. The next steps that
Austin Polytech grads take may be a good assessment of how well the
Academy fulfills its mission statement. This is important to those
hoping to fill the nations estimated three million vacant positions in
science, technology, engineering and math (STEM jobs). It is seen by
many that the U.S. must encourage interest in and reverse the decline of
skilled trades in order to stay competitive in the global economy.
Experts have estimated that by 2020, there could be between 12 and 24
million vacant STEM jobs in the U.S.
Swinney wants to combat the prevailing prejudice against manufacturing
jobs that imagines them to be unskilled and ow-paying. He wants to,
instead, push the high-tech jobs that offer secure employment and good
salaries.