Manufacturing Pathways That Connect Students With Future Opportunities
The AMP Lab @ WMU was created to address a critical lack of talent to meet the high demand for manufacturers, engineers, designers, and other skilled employees in West Michigan. Located in the bottom two floors of the WMU-Grand Rapids location, the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) Laboratory is a state-of-the-art manufacturing lab built in collaboration with West Michigan manufacturers and in partnership with Autocam Medical and Grand Rapids Community College.
"My goal is to ensure that we deliver the appropriate course and degree offerings that prospective students and area employers demand," says Director for WMU-Grand Rapids, Joanne Roehm. "That requires developing relationships and strong partnerships within the Grand Rapids community so we can appropriately adapt and respond to our local education and industry needs."
Intended to showcase Michigan's manufacturing job opportunities and inspire the next generation of makers, the bright and clean AMP Lab, stocked with the latest in cutting edge technology, is the perfect rebuttal to the misguided perceptions that manufacturing jobs take place in dark, dirty, or low-tech environments.
Placing trained manufacturers, engineers, and designers at the forefront of solving key challenges for industry, Roehm turned her focus to identifying and supporting a pipeline of future learners. She reached out to John Helmholdt, Executive Director of Communications & External Affairs for Grand Rapids Public Schools, and offered a tour of the AMP Lab.
"Helmholdt was impressed with our facilities and quickly saw the opportunity to introduce select Grand Rapids Public Schools to both the AMP Lab and WMU," explains Roehm. Inspired, Helmholdt identified three Grand Rapids Public Schools – all located in close proximity to the WMU-Grand Rapids facility – whose mission, culture and curriculum align well with the goals of the AMP Lab. These high schools offer STEM-focused and place-based learning programs and are highly invested in providing experiential learning outside of the classroom.
"A partnership with these schools is an impactful way to help interested high school students discover potential careers in the field of manufacturing and design, deliver new educational opportunities, and even provide eligible students with access to university courses and resources," says Roehm.
To bring this partnership to life, she enlisted the help of WMU colleagues Dr. Steve Butt, Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS), and Kimmy Beuchler, Director of Early College Programs. Working together, Roehm, Butt, and Beuchler planned several student experiential sessions at the AMP Lab.
During these sessions, led by Dr. Butt, students are given a tour of the AMP Lab and have the chance to talk to Autocam Medical employees about their careers and what they do. Through interactions with WMU CEAS faculty, as well as current graduate and undergraduate students, the high schoolers are able to connect with individuals pursuing a variety of pathways and at various stages of their educational and professional careers. "There's nothing more exciting than putting a kid in front of a computer with CAD software running to let them play around. I love to see that light turn on in their head and you know they can picture themselves potentially doing this as a career," says Butt.
Students also participate in an exciting and competitive design challenge that gives them hands-on experience solving design problems. "I always love the design challenge. We really try to demystify what engineering is by breaking it down to its basics – solving problems and working within a set of constraints," explains Butt.
To capstone the experience, students are introduced to WMU's Collegiate Pathways dual enrollment program, where Beuchler presents the opportunity to participate in a unique 5-course training certificate program, developed by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, that introduces students to all aspects of manufacturing and design.
"As a former science teacher in Grand Rapids Public Schools, I was fortunate to see the impact these types of experiences have on students and their perceptions of science careers first-hand," says Beuchler. "To be able to link the experience to dual enrollment and give students the opportunity to work toward earning a certificate that they can take with them upon high school graduation to either enter the workforce or more quickly complete a WMU or Grand Rapids Community College degree is an absolute game-changer for students."
I love to see that light turn on in their head and you know they can picture themselves potentially doing this as a career.
The partnership between WMU and Grand Rapids Public Schools is a long-term and strategic step to combat the lack of skilled manufacturers, engineers, and designers in West Michigan. The AMP Lab experience sessions get high school students out of the classroom so that they can see the manufacturing and design environment first-hand, picture themselves working in these positions, and, with the support of WMU's Collegiate Pathways program, begin the process to pursue a career in manufacturing and design.
Working collaboratively with Grand Rapids Public Schools, WMU created an accessible pathway for students to explore their educational and professional goals. Long-term, WMU-Grand Rapids is prepared to provide the necessary local undergraduate and graduate degree programs to serve a diverse population of students and usher in the next generation of makers to southwest Michigan.