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Welcome to FLATE

The Florida Advanced Technological Education Center (FLATE), a National Science Foundation Center of Excellence in high-technology manufacturing, is the go-to organization for manufacturing and advanced technical education, best practices and resources supporting the high performance skilled workforce for Florida’s manufacturing sectors. FLATE provides exemplary industry partnerships, workforce opportunity, and educational synergy throughout the state of Florida by connecting industry and workforce needs to targeted educational endeavors at many community and state colleges across Florida.

Made in Florida

FLATE has built a web portal for students in middle and high schools where they can learn about the wonderful, profitable opportunities in considering manufacturing as a career choice. Every day, we enjoy things that many people don’t realize were made in Florida. Behind every product and technology we use, there is a world of manufacturing. Today, in Florida, more than 20,000 different companies and 380,000 people work in the manufacturing field. The site has areas of information and resources for students, educators and industry. Visit MadeInFlorida.org

Florida Manufacturing Month

WHAT’S NEW?

2015-20 FL Student Enrollment and Completion Trend Study

Data Assessment-FL MFG Workforce Needs

Engineering Technology at St. Johns River State College

ET Forum Industry Panel Examines the Significance of Industrial Advisory Boards in Industry-Education Partnership

My STEM Career Journey

Newsletter Archive

Robotics Camp Information

FLATE Impact Video

FLATE Videos Page

Post Visit 2019 MFG Day Survey Results Cumulative Report

Miscellaneous Resources & Professional Development Opportunities

EXPLORING ADVANCED MANUFACTURING FREE online course open to all.

Resources for ET CORE and Machining NIMS Alignment

WHITE PAPER: Manufacturing Day Tours: Student Feedback Shows Huge Impact

Sustainability in Manufacturing Lessons

ET Forum – Fall 2021

ET Forum Tech Talks

ET Forum Tech Talks webinar series starts in Jan 2021! This series focus on important, emerging technologies that manufacturing 2-year technician programs should be including in their programs. industry experts present the technical side of emerging Industry 4.0 technologies and provide techniques and tools for technician educators to use in their classrooms. The series is co-hosted by Dr. Marilyn Barger, Director of FLATE, a part of the FloridaMakes Network, and Ms. Lara Sharp, Program Director of Engineering, Manufacturing, and Building Arts at St. Petersburg College, and in partnership with the Florida Department of Education. You can find out more on the FLATE Calendar of Events

TECH TALKS SESSION 3: Friday April 23, 9-10 am (Eastern Time) with Mike Ennis, Business Advisor, Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, who will explore OSHA for Manufacturing.

FLATE’s Presentations, Publications & Webinars

FLATE’s presentations, publications, and webinars provide resources for all STEM educators and anyone interested in outreach for manufacturing. Topics include facility tours, summer or after school programs, specific manufacturing education and/or career resources. To access this material and more educational resources visit Madeinflorida.org and FLATE-PBWorks.com/presentations.

If you have suggested speakers or topics for the series, please submit them to Danielly Orozco-Cole .

FloridaMakes and the Florida Sterling Council Announce Finalists for the 2021 Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Awards

4 June 2021 - zoraida.velasco

The Florida Sterling Council and FloridaMakes announced today that 10 manufacturing companies have been named as finalists for the Florida Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence (SMBE) Awards. The winners, chosen from among the finalists, will be announced at the 2020 Sterling Manufacturing Business Excellence Awards Virtual Celebration on Oct. 2. The Florida Sterling Council and FloridaMakes collaborated on these statewide awards to recognize the state’s high-performing manufacturers. Companies were judged in six categories of criteria, including leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce and operations. Read More

2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit Kicks Off Business Growth Segment with CEOs from Tervis, Monin, Luminar, and others

18 May 2021 - james.vandenbosch@floridamakes.com

Florida's leading workforce, business and economic development organizations kick off the 2021 Florida MakeMore Manufacturing Summit with the Business Growth virtual segment on June 22-23. The Business Growth segment is the first in a series of four total virtual segments spanning 2021 and will feature leaders manufacturing sector and a keynote presentation by Tervis CEO Rogan Donelly. Each segment will highlight a topic vital to Florida’s manufacturing sector. The event provides a platform to exchange ideas about how Florida's resources address the impact of market dynamics, economic trends and policies, and innovative technologies in the manufacturing sector. The initiative is a partnership amongst Associated Industries of Florida, CareerSource Florida, Enterprise Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and FloridaMakes. Read More

FloridaMakes Appoints South Florida Manufacturing Leader Luis Gonzalez-Mendez to Statewide Board of Directors

13 May 2021 - james.vandenbosch@floridamakes.com

FloridaMakes, the official representative of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) National Network in the state of Florida, a program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has appointed Luis Gonzalez-Mendez to its board of directors. Read More

Now Hiring: Manufacturing Advocacy Coordinator

12 May 2021 - james.vandenbosch@floridamakes.com

FloridaMakes has an opening for an advocacy coordinator to help support adn develop a statewide strategy for strengthening and advancing Florida’s manufacturing economy. A successful candidate will be expected to perform duties that contribute to selected projects including: a manufacturing policy agenda, grassroots advocacy, and government relationships. These duties include, but are not limited to, contributing to the successful planning and execution Tallahassee Days, Hill Day, meetings of the Florida Manufacturing and Supply Chain Caucus, researching, reporting and analyzing policies as they relate to impact on the manufacturing sector. Read More

Now Hiring: Supplier Development Coordinator

12 May 2021 - james.vandenbosch@floridamakes.com

FloridaMakes has an opening for supplier development coordinator to help support and grow our organization’s supply chain practice. This is a full-time grant funded position through March 31, 2022. Continued employment is dependent on grant funding. Read More

Hiring Two FloridaMakes Business Advisors for the Central and Southeast Florida Regions

6 April 2021 - james.vandenbosch@floridamakes.com

FloridaMakes has two openings for a Business Advisor (BA), one located in Central Florida and one in Southeast Florida. The successful BA will have operational and financial expertise in manufacturing. The Business Advisor works to increase FloridaMakes and the affiliated Manufacturer’s Association’s market positions and financial growth. This person builds key customer relationships, identifies business opportunities, negotiates and closes business deals and maintains extensive knowledge of current market conditions. The Business Advisor will have manufacturing and operational expertise that can guide client firms through a comprehensive assessment of the strategy, a discovery process to identify opportunities for growth, and connectivity to public and private service providers to assist them along their development pathway. Read More

FloridaMakes’ Industrial Manufacturing Technician (IMT) Apprenticeship Awarded Florida Department of Education (DOE) Grant Strengthening Florida’s Manufacturing Workforce

30 March 2021 - james.vandenbosch@floridamakes.com

FloridaMakes’ IMT program was awarded funding from the Florida Department of Education’s (DOE) Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities program. The grant will provide the resources to expand and increase awareness of the IMT Apprenticeship program throughout the state. “FloridaMakes is honored to receive this grant from DOE that strengthens Florida’s manufacturing workforce,” said Tina Berger, FloridaMakes’ Director of Manufacturing Talent Development. “FloridaMakes is working to ensure Florida’s preparedness to fill the estimated 4.6 million manufacturing jobs of the future. Manufacturing’s biggest hurdle is the workforce skills gaps and the IMT program addresses the foundational manufacturing knowledge apprentices need to succeed.” Launched in June 2020, the IMT program brings Florida’s manufacturers a competency-based, hybrid training model that addresses entry-level skills gaps and provides foundational manufacturing knowledge regardless of the specific occupation. This approach bypasses the need for employees attending courses at institutions and provides flexible access to accommodate varying schedules, family commitments, and transportation issues of employees. Read More