FLATE Focus
FLATE’s Upcoming Spring 2019 Professional Development Events
Here at FLATE, we have many Professional Development events and workshops that we carry on all throughout the year and this spring we are excited to announce our three new PD opportunities.
Our first workshop this spring is the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council Certified Production Technician (MSSC-CPT) credential. This workshop is designed for Florida educators interested in manufacturing education. Last year, a packed agenda was centered around the updated standards from the MSSC Panel of Experts for the CPT as well as a new hands-on tool to support MSSC student learning, “Skills Boss”. The integrated small trainer was designed to provide hands-on activities that support the MSSC workplace standards. The Skills Boss will be especially helpful for those who have little or no experience in the manufacturing workplace, including high school students. Neil Reddy, MSSC CEO, will be at the workshop to address the educators and answer any MSSC questions. Also, a panel of educators and industry representatives who have been using the MSSC CPT will discuss how they have integrated the CPT into their program of study and into their work environments and culture.
The second opportunity, FANUC Certified Education Robot Training Cart (CERT) is a hands-on learning course that will get you up to speed with your FANUC CERT system by providing training with an actual robot that uses the same Roboguide programming software and curriculum you will be using in your classroom. Join us for this free 4.5-day training at the Central Florida College, Ocala that will get you up to speed on basic robotics programming and prepare you for the FANUC certification.
Our third opportunity is to attend STEM – CTE educator workshops in which the attendees will be enriched with knowledge and relevant tools for STEM educators interested and pursuing additional growth in their classes. These workshops are led by one of our very best in the Hillsborough County Schools, Libby Simpson. For more information, please contact her at:
Professional development opportunities are always posted on our FLATE wiki site. You can always check there for additional updates by clicking on the Professional development icon as well as explore any previous workshops and PD events offered by FLATE and its partners. Speaking of partners, we cannot do all of this alone and want to thank the many organizations that support these efforts in many ways from providing travel stipends (FACTE), meals (MSSC, Jaeger Education and others); Central Florida College (CCF) and Hillsborough Community College for hosting the events on their campuses and providing supporting infrastructure; and the Hillsborough School District, CCF, HCC, FANUC, Jaeger Education and Amatrol for providing an instructors and subject matter experts.
We continue to look forward to being a part of the growth of many Florida educators at these 2019 spring events! For more information, please visit the FLATE wiki or contact Dr. Marilyn Barger at (barger@fl-ate.org).
See you there!
In mid-December, the new “Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work” project hosted its advisory committee and Principal Investigators from ATE centers, coordination networks and projects in Alexandria, Virginia to explore anticipated impacts on the “future of work” on the advanced technicians graduating from our programs. This event kick-started the four-year ATE special project focused identifying what skills and knowledge the technician workforce will need in the coming decades and how we can best deploy them. The project advisory committee met the day prior to the Caucus and those 10 industry representatives joined the ATE Caucus to share their industry perspectives. The funded “Preparing Technicians” project is providing an important opportunity for the ATE community to come together and look toward the future of technician education and what we will want and need to change in our educational systems to best prepare students for the jobs of the future.
Several NSF program officers from programs focused on the NSF’s “Big Idea” focusing on the Future of Work at the Human Technology Interface. This program spans the breadth of the National Science Foundation’s programs including the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program. And, it is one of ten “Big Ideas” (see the Big Ideas 
You can join the Preparing Technician’s community by signing up on its website, 
The fast pace of technological change, the power of artificial intelligence, G5 communication platforms, flexible manufacturing and virtual / augmented reality will affect how many workers do their work every day. We must do our best to anticipate what industry will look like for working technicians. FLATE looks forward to sharing news from the Preparing Technicians for the Future of Work project as it explores the technology workforce and workplace of the near future. For more information about the Preparing Technicians projects, contact the project P.I., Ann-Clair Anderson (
As we approach the holiday season and the beginning of a new year, it’s time to both look forward to where we want to go and who we want to be, and back to see where we have come. However, right now let’s focus on professional development (“PD”) and the future. What do we want to learn more about? What do we still want to learn? How can we better help our students?
However, “PD” helps build and maintain morale and is thought to help attract higher quality people to an organization”. Additionally, “PD” can provide educators with innovative tools and helps them to develop skills to use these new tools effectively to affect a direct impact on student achievement. When educators feel empowered and confident in bringing something new to their instruction, they can reach students they may not have been able to with traditional teaching methods. Innovative technology and teaching tools in the classroom can allow for diverse and interesting lessons that will engage learners in new ways.
FLATE, in partnership with the Central Florida College will conduct a 4.5-day Industrial Robot workshop in June. Registration and educator travel and lodging support is covered by our partner FACTE through a Perkins grant. FLATE will also host a MSSC CPT/CPT+ workshop this spring (dates and location will be finalized early in January). For the post-secondary Engineering Technology crowd, the spring ET Forum will be hosted for the first time by our colleagues at Sarasota Technical College (STC) on March 28-29.
We encourage everyone to take advantage of some free local events that focus on new and emerging technologies. Two great candidates are the Synapse Innovation event in February in Tampa and the Florida HAAS Machining Educator Day hosted by Palm Beach State College Lake Worth Campus on May 2. Another good deal is the $25 Tech Tour pre-conference day hosted by FAITE and FLATE in conjunction with the Annual FACTE conference each July.
The UTBMA is dedicated to serving the unique business and networking needs of the approximately 400 manufacturers located in the region. The 2018 awards ceremony recognized regional manufacturers for their exemplary labor in manufacturing innovation and for the first time outstanding students and alumni were also recognized. During this event, FLATE’s dear friend Roy Sweatman from Southern Manufacturing Technologies received the distinguished 2018 Service Award. The 2018 Student Excellence award was presented to Michelle Puentes from Hillsborough Community College and Ryder Fizpatrick from St. Petersburg. Michelle and Ryder were recognized for their outstanding perseverance, leadership and academic achievement in pursuit of a career in advanced technology and manufacturing.
In addition to statewide data, you can find downloadable in-depth regional reports on that same MANUFACTS webpage. For example, the report for West Central Gulf Coast is 28 pages, was compiled by IHS and looks like the image to the left. In addition to West Central Gulf Coast, reports available for you to find include regional reports for Central Florida, the First Coast, Gainesville Area, Mid-Florida, Northwest Florida and Capital Region, South Florida, Southwest Region, and Volusia County. Check out the report for your region to gather local details to support your Manufacturing Day events.
More Florida Manufacturing facts can be found on FLATE’s website with the Engineering 
articulated pathways into college programs and dual enrollment with the A.S.E.T. The Florida Advanced Manufacturing high school program has shown significant growth in the past several years. Here are a few FACTS captured from this
A summary of MFG DAY-FL student tour data for the past 5 years is posted on the 
Since 2012, MFG DAY/Month has grown across the nation. A central focus of the celebration is to introduce Advanced Modern Manufacturing to young people in order to attract them to careers in the industry. If Florida, FLATE and its many partners that include regional professional and business associations, Workforce and Economic development organizations, educational institutions of all levels have organized student tours and other events to celebrate the industry and introduce the community, especially students, to manufacturing and its many great careers. It’s time to plan for MFG DAY/month in FL 2018.
I encourage ALL manufacturers to host student tours. 100% of the feedback we have gotten over the past 5 years from company hosts is incredibly positive: that the tours were a good investment of time and energy; their own workforce was jazzed by experience of having student visitors, and a few had direct hires. The vast majority said it was also great for company morale. Overall, its been all great! Here is what you need to get started:
The terms Mechatronics and Vacuum Technology represent 20th Century state-of-the-art “tags” for leading edge STEM based skill sets that are even more significant in this 21st century digital world. Mechatronics was coined in the 1960’s to verbalize the then brand new integration of mechanical and electronic knowledge for commercial (automobiles, etc), space (moon mission) and defense (ICB’s) applications. Vacuum Technology could trace its heritage to the 19th Century (Edison’s work with incandescent filaments for example) but certainly is anchored in technology development (radio and television) in the 1920’s and cemented in all advanced technologies triggered during and post Manhattan Project. Although there is always a tendency to rebrand almost everything (IHOP to IHOB for the latest example), new identifiers for either of these incredibly STEM based skill sets is not necessary. What is important is to recognize that from a technician’s perspective both are indicative of the required and similar advanced knowledge and skills for today’s advanced manufacturing sector technicians.
FLATE is now beginning an initiative to build a community of practice that supports vacuum technology and its overlapping Mechatronics skills. The National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program (NSF-ATE) is supporting FLATE activities focused on technician education that lead to careers in advanced manufacturing that depend on vacuum technology and science skills and knowledge. FLATE has entered into a partnership with the American Vacuum Society (AVS) to identify the essential skills that are and will be essential to support this industry sector. (The AVS is the internationally recognized premiere organization of academic, industry, Department of Defense, National Laboratory, and NASA STEM professionals that require or use controlled pressure environments to accomplish their missions.) This objective will be reached through a joint effort by the AVS Education Committee, Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN, and FLATE. The work has already begun at workshop supported by AVS at the Colorado School of Mines that took place in early June. Stay tuned for the next steps in this project in the fall of 2018. For more information, contact 
The recommendations released come from three years’ worth of research and feedback from more than 10,000 Floridians in each of Florida’s 67 counties as part of the Florida 2030 initiative- a multi-million research initiative that seeks to identify the challenges and opportunities Florida has between now and 2030, and to create a blueprint for Florida’s future. Recommendations found that:
FLATE, FloridaMakes, the Able Trust, Economic Development organizations and Educational institutions gathered to hear the specific recommendations for Talent and Education Pilar of Project 2030 at the recent Earners to Learners Summit held in Tampa. In addition to the project recommendations, Commissioner Pam Stewart presented the Commissioners Business Recognitions Awards during the event. These awards to a number of exemplary programs and businesses around the state. The award winners are posted here: 
October 5 marks the official kick off for Manufacturing (MFG) Day with industry tours, open houses, career fairs and other miscellaneous events being planned in Florida and across the country.
Every year, the Florida Advanced Technological Center-FLATE, helps middle school students by mentoring in their Engineering Capstone projects. The 8th grade STEM students are tasked to exhibit technical expertise to solve challenging problems by producing ideas and products that have the potential to be marketed in the real world.
To support some of its STEM based initiatives, J. Madison Middle School also created the “Ghost Riders STEM Institute”, now referred to as the “STEM Aerospace Engineering Academy”, and has recently started the 8th grade capstone project which involves the development and creation of an innovative product over the period of the whole year. Each student group is mentored by an “expert professional” in the field. These professionals, or experts, would help them complete their projects with their guidance. Meetings with mentors are performed via phone, emails, and video provide each group with the proper direction for the creation of their product.
Engineering Capstone Project- Lead The Way (PLTW), another project supported by FLATE, provides a comprehensive approach to STEM Education. Through activity, projects, and problem-based curriculum, PLTW gives students in high school a chance to apply what they know, identify problems, find unique solutions, and lead their own learning. The implementation of this program provides tools to empower students and transform the classroom into a collaboration space where content comes to life.