STEM: Welding Rodeo: Experiences in STEM Education
Abstract
Approved for Public ReleaseNortheast Wisconsin#s shipbuilding sector, home to six of the Great Lakes# eight shipbuilders, is experiencing a gap in U.S.-based human capital whereby industry is unable to hire and/or retain U.S workers with the necessary skill sets.This is of critical interest to the U.S. Navy given reliance on the shipbuilding industrial base for construction and repair of Naval ships. The U.S. Navy#s 30-year plan proposes the goal of up to 404 manned and 204 large, unmanned vessels in the naval fleet compared to the 296 vessels that exist today. In its 2022 report to Congress, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations stated: #Sustaining and growing this vital shipbuilding base is a national security imperative that both energizes and challenges the Navy and theNation.# Of immediate concern, Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Northeast Wisconsin is reliant on this workforce to fulfill existingcontracts to build the first four of 20 frigates, the newest Department of Navy (DoN) warship class. With Office of Naval Research funding support, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) will launch Welding Rodeos in Marinette and Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, home to Fincantieri Marine Group shipyards, to spotlight the metal trades careers and accelerate the rate at which diverse residents are enrolling in training to join the workforce. Modeled after a Washington State Best Workforce Practice, the high visibility annual community events will provide informal learning opportunities to increase residents# understanding of science career options. Specifically, the Welding Rodeos will include: (1) a STEM career fair with post-secondary program instructors, shipbuilders, and supply chain; (2) hands-on welding opportunities for novice adults; (3) welding skills competitions for high school, college, and professional welders; and (4) a themed scrap metal sculpture contest with teams of professional and student welders paired with an artist. Auction of the completed sculptures will allow for awarding of college scholarships and event sustainability. The project will result in expanded knowledge of DoN STEM career opportunities; an increase in both welding program enrollments as a pipeline to join the DoN STEM workforce and employer hiring of new recruits; and an improved perception of welding careers in the DoN STEM workforce and post-secondary relevance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 08, 2024
- Source ID
- N000142412151
Entities
People
- Meridith Jaeger
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy