MCAA’s members have a demand for skilled–often highly skilled engineering–personnel to develop, manufacture and sell their products. The Association strongly supports the variety of initiatives underway by a number of companies and organizations. We support every effort to strengthen the STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Math) curricula in our nation’s schools from elementary right through community colleges.

Recognizing our limitations, as well as the work already underway by a variety of organizations, MCAA builds upon efforts by its own members in their local communities. We will partner with and support other organizations and major companies whose goals and mission are the same as ours. We won’t try to recreate the wheel.

Individuals from MCAA member companies as well as MCAA’s Workforce Development Committee members have had discussions with colleges within their individual local communities. Often they talk about how their own companies can help those schools establish programs that can produce the kinds of graduates that are needed in all areas within our industry—both on the manufacturer/supplier side as well as the customer/user side. Based on those discussions a task force has created an outline curriculum of a 2-year degree for an Instrumentation, Control and Automation Technician. 

We encourage MCAA members and their customers to push this curriculum out to local community colleges or technical schools. If you have not already established a relationship with both community colleges and universities in your area, we urge you to make those connections. We also encourage our members to provide materials and equipment and even experts to teach these courses. Explore the need for a full 4-year BS degree in Instrumentation. Bring your feedback to MCAA on any such discussions.

MCAA believes that as these courses become available, interest in our industry and manufacturing, in general, will grow. We will spend less time finding qualified candidates for the many jobs of the future and they will come to us more prepared to contribute from day one.