Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) invited 100 students from Detroit Public School’s Denby High School to tour its Corktown facility – which includes a brand-new, one-of-a-kind Learning Lab – during an open house in celebration of Manufacturing Day, Friday, October 4.
LIFT’s state-of-the-art, 100,000-square-foot headquarters and Learning Lab are focused on advanced manufacturing innovation and preparing the next generation of high-level technicians for in-demand advanced manufacturing jobs.
Caullin Gaskins, 17, a senior at Denby, was among the students who toured the facility that is home to both LIFT and IACMI – The Composites Institute, and is among the nation’s most innovative advanced manufacturing facilities. Gaskins is in his second year of the robotics program at Denby and is considering a career in manufacturing as a result of his studies.
“I like trying new things and this has been a great experience for me,” Gaskins said. “I love it; I’m getting pretty good at it and I’m even helping my fellow classmates. I’m excited to learn if this is something I’d like to do after high school. It’s something I’m really interested in.”
Gaskins is an example of the type of individual LIFT will reach through its new Learning Lab.
“There’s a tremendous need for people in manufacturing – there are too many jobs and not enough workers with the skills, knowledge and abilities to be successful,” Joe Steele, communications director for LIFT, told the students before they began the tour and participated in hands-on activities. “With the LIFT Learning Lab, we’re trying to fix that.”
The students toured the wide range of advanced manufacturing learning spaces, including the Fundamental Manufacturing Skills Development Lab, CNC Operations and Welding Technicians Training Centers.
Denby senior Cheyanne Robinson, 17, is also considering a career in manufacturing as a result of the time she’s spent in her school’s robotics program.
“I wanted exposure to what robotics is all about,” Robinson said. “I never saw myself in manufacturing before this, but I like it so far, and I’m good at it.”
Arese Robinson, program administrator for the Office of College and Career Readiness for Detroit Public Schools, said the district strives to provide opportunities for students to immerse themselves in various career paths, including advanced manufacturing.
“We want to be a pipeline for students to go into the workplace or a post-secondary program and expose them to additional opportunities,” she said.
LIFT is currently hosting 100 students from University Prep Science & Math High School daily in the Learning Lab to take part in IGNITE: Mastering Manufacturing, a three-year foundational competency-based educational program.
LIFT is operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute through a public-private partnership committed to developing and deploying advanced lightweight material manufacturing technologies andeducation and training initiatives aimed to better prepare the workforce today and in the future. LIFT is one of the founding institutes of Manufacturing USA, and is funded in part by the Department of Defense with management through the Office of Naval Research.
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