About
Minnesota State Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence is an innovative, collaborative effort between education and industry to recruit, educate, and train workers for dynamic careers in advanced manufacturing.
Who We Are
We are one of eight Centers of Excellence throughout the Minnesota State College and University System that was developed to serve the needs of industry through education and outreach.
Who We Work With
The Center works closely with Minnesota technical and community colleges to develop resources that are effective and deliver education that meets the needs of the industry.
We listen to manufacturers throughout the state to understand their current needs and recruit their next skilled worker. We do this through enhancing education, outreach, development of resources, and working to develop ongoing solutions to support manufacturing education contributing to industry needs.
What We Offer
We offer resources and solutions for educators, students, and parents for inspiring and educating students to choose an exciting career in the manufacturing industry.
Our Purpose
Engage Industry, Enhance Education, Inspire Students
- Inspire young people to prepare for and seek careers in Advanced Manufacturing.
- Improve the public’s image of manufacturing.
- Influence schools, parents, and guidance counselors to embrace manufacturing careers.
- Involve Minnesota Manufacturers in a leadership role.
“Most people don’t realize that you can directly be involved in making parts for things like cutting edge surgical processes, race cars, and even land rovers that go to Mars.”
– Ben Martin, Applications Engineer for Hegman Machine
Enhancing the Pipeline and Providing Industry-Driven Curriculum
With our partners, we work closely with industry to meet the dynamic, evolving needs of the region’s manufacturing employers.
We offer a variety of resources and programs to reach middle school and high school students, parents, and other influencers to build the next generation of manufacturers by:
- Coordinating the Statewide Tour of Manufacturing.
- Funding advanced manufacturing and STEM youth outreach events.
We help the industry gain qualified employees by:
- Working closely with the industry to develop a curriculum that meets their needs.
- Developing learning modules focused on professional skills.
- Supporting project-based learning through robotics.
- Funding program improvement at colleges.
- Leading the adoption of new educational models.
How Minnesota State Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence Works
The Center is led by Bemidji State University and includes 14 technical and community colleges. We are a member of Minnesota State and received a National Science Foundation grant in 2012 to become an Advanced Technological Education Regional Center.
We work closely with our college partners along with other educators, industry, and other stakeholders to develop and execute our strategies and programs.
Learn More and Get Involved
We welcome your help to achieve our goal of meeting the talent needs of modern manufacturing. Let us know how you or your organization would like to help.
Engaging Industry. Enhancing Education. Inspiring Change.
Minnesota State hosts eight Centers of Excellence – each serving a major industry that faces serious workforce shortages. The centers collaborate with industry and educators to attract and prepare students for success in high-demand careers.