Fabricators & Manufacturers Association teams with SolidWorks to
encourage students to get formal manufacturing training
Do high school students have what it takes to become professional sheet
metal fabricators at one of the Big Three automakers? How about highly
skilled welders working in the defense industry? Dassault
Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks)
and the Fabricators
& Manufacturers Association, International (FMA), want to know,
and they’re co-sponsoring a contest that will
offer scholarships and SolidWorks 3D CAD software to students who want
to pursue those careers.
DS SolidWorks and FMA are teaming to help combat the growing shortage of
skilled fabricators, sheet metal workers, welders, etc., by sponsoring
the “GO-Brennan”
contest, named after Brennan Palmiter, a 16-year-old professional race
car driver and aspiring welder working toward professional
certification. Contestants who submit a short video on YouTube will vie
for one of 25 $500 scholarships to a two-year trade or technical school
of their choice for classes in welding or other metal fabricating
processes. These winners will also receive a free license of SolidWorks
Student Edition software, including SolidWorks 3D CAD and SolidWorks
Simulation design validation software.
“We see new studies almost every week that
depict the grim horizon for manufacturing jobs in this country,”
said Terrence Egan, director of the FMA Foundation. “Brennan
serves as a role model for what students can achieve, and what we’re
hoping will be a spark for increasing the pool of skilled labor for the
manufacturing industry. Co-sponsoring this contest with SolidWorks is
taking a positive step toward that goal.”
To qualify for the competition, students must plan to attend a two-year
trade or technical school next spring for classes in welding or other
metal fabricating processes. To enter, students should log onto the “GO-Brennan”
video on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-lQPm7gf6I.
During the video, they’ll be instructed to
submit a short video (about a minute) explaining why they want to be in
manufacturing, what career they seek, and where they want to attend
school. They’ll also be encouraged to include
footage of themselves welding or building with metal. The deadline to
post videos is Nov. 9 and winners will be announced on Nov.
