On Monday, USJ announced a partnership with MakerspaceCT, a 28,000-square-foot workshop and skills development center in the former G. Fox building in downtown Hartford.
The partnership follows an earlier announcement of USJ's new engineering in science degree, which will be launching this fall, as the school works to encourage more STEM educational opportunities and career preparation, at the same time that the state focuses on increasing its workforce in the manufacturing and engineering fields, according to the school.
Since its start in 2019, MakerspaceCT has been a place "for residents, students, hobbyists, aspiring innovators, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs to access the tools, technology, resources, and educational opportunities they need to succeed in the state's manufacturing and technology workforce," according to its website.
MakerspaceCT provides 10 individual workshops equipped with cutting-edge hardware and software and offers virtual reality equipment and programming to support education-to-career pathways, according to its website. The development center also collaborates with other schools and universities in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines and connects program graduates with local manufacturers.
And now, USJ students will have access to all of its resources, as well as be able to apply for internships with MakerspaceCT.
At the facility, engineering science, digital media and communication, and computer science classes will be offered to USJ students, and engineering science students will get MakerspaceCT memberships. It will also serve as a location for some USJ clubs, including robotics.
"Ensuring that USJ students apply what they learn in their classes and on-campus labs in real-world settings requires that we have partner organizations in many industries from health care to accounting and now, for our engineering science students, in manufacturing and engineering," USJ President Rhona Free said. "We are so glad that MakerspaceCT will be one of those partners, providing our students opportunities to work alongside experts with technology and equipment that will prepare them for the workforce."
"This collaboration allows MakerspaceCT to reinforce our mission of positively impacting lives through technology, innovation, and education," MakerspaceCT Executive Director Devra Lee Sisitsky said. "Our combined educational and project-based lab opportunities will provide comprehensive engineering skills to USJ students. We are excited to impact the future of engineering education."
Connecticut aims to increase manufacturing employment to 235,000 by 2033, a 4 percent annual increase, to expand the industry base, according to the state's 2023 manufacturing strategic plan.
"More experienced manufacturing professionals are retiring than ever — while there's been a historic lag of new entrants into the field," according to the plan. "That makes access to a skilled workforce our single biggest impediment to growth — and attracting and developing talent our plan's most critical strategic pillar."
A specific goal of the state's plan is to work with leaders in the industry and in education, and encourage programs that help to develop the workforce, such as the USJ and MakerspaceCT partnership.
"Exposure to the high level of expertise and access to the tools at MakerspaceCT will prove advantageous for students pursuing a degree in engineering at USJ," Jerry Darling, the founding director of the Engineering Science program, said. "The opportunity for students and faculty to merge insights from the classroom with a real-world learning lab will position students for direct employment in engineering, including careers in manufacturing engineering, systems engineering, quality engineering, and many others."
©2024 Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
