Featured Stories
Calhoun Community College Talks Recent Project MFG Win
Part national tournament, part manufacturing training program, part reality show. Project MFG is an organization that brings together government, industry, schools, and students to create the next generation of skilled trade professionals. Every year, it hosts a competition to test the advanced manufacturing skills – design, programming, multiaxis machining, welding, metrology, etc. – of students from all over the country. A Hollywood film crew films…
North Stars
Students in Northern States Hope to Shine at SkillsUSA Championship Excitement is in the air as American students prepare for the upcoming 2024 SkillsUSA Championships. The stars will align June 24 through 28 at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta where more than 6000 state champions compete in 115 skilled and leadership competitions. Fierce competition is expected in all categories, including CNC programming. In…
SkillsUSA Participation Grows in the South
Industry and Education Partnerships Drive higher participation in Southern SkillsUSA Competition The Southern region of the U.S. is better known for its vacation destinations and cuisine than for being a manufacturing hot spot. A recent uptick in defense, automotive, aerospace, and space exploration manufacturing has put a renewed focus on industry in the south. Employment numbers, however, have not followed suit. A 2021 study from…
SkillsUSA in the Midwest
At every SkillsUSA state conference in the US, there’s a general buzz – whirring, buzzing, pounding and conversation. At the Ohio SkillsUSA competition, amid the energetic din, there’s a large square full of students that’s nearly silent. This area of quiet, intense focus is the CNC programming competition area. In most other states, there is some machining component to competition day, but space restrictions meant…
Best of the West
Mastercam Representatives support SkillsUSA participants in Western states As they gear up for the upcoming 2024 SkillsUSA National championship in Atlanta, competitors are inspired by this year’s contest theme—"SkillsUSA: No Limits.” Across the nation, Mastercam and its Mastercam Representative network are joining forces with SkillsUSA to help prepare the next generation of programmers and machinists. In the West, CAD/CAM CONSULTING SERVICES, INC. (CCCS), San Diego,…
Mastercam and SkillsUSA Tackle Skilled Workforce Shortage Head-On
For more than 25 years, Mastercam has partnered with SkillsUSA to provide technology, support, and resources to ensure every SkillsUSA participant is learning the cutting-edge skills they’ll need to succeed. The partnership is no accident. Mastercam’s mission is to create software and services that solve the world’s manufacturing challenges, and one of the world’s biggest manufacturing challenges is a lack of skilled workers. Partnering with…
Customer Profile: Greg Williams, Stainless Fittings Group
Greg Williams is the CNC Supervisor at Stainless Fittings Group (SFG), Traveler’s Rest, SC, a subsidiary of Texas Pipe & Supply, Houston, TX. Williams has been a machinist for 30 years, 6 of which have been spent at SFG. Recently, we chatted with him about his three decades in manufacturing and what led him to this field. Why manufacturing? Why did you choose it? I…
America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) Adds Mastercam as a Featured Option for Program Participants
What is ACE? America's Cutting Edge (ACE) is a program managed by the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) designed to reestablish American leadership in the machine tool industry through transformative thinking, technological innovation, and workforce development. ACE connects top national experts with students and incumbent industrial workers from diverse backgrounds, levels of education, and work experience to build interest and provide no-cost online…
Customer Profile: Joe LaFevre, Knox County Career Center
We caught up with Joe LaFevre, precision machining Instructor at Knox County Career Center, Mount Vernon, OH, to find out more about him and his insights on teaching CAD/CAM and machining. Here is what he had to say. Why did you choose manufacturing? I graduated from the Knox County Career Center’s Precision Machining class in 2007. My brother and uncle graduated from the same class…
Mastercam Sponsors Project MFG’s “Clash of the Trades” Competition
As response to the U.S. skilled-labor shortage, specifically in manufacturing, Project MFG, Kansas City, MO, collaborates with communities, educators, and industry leaders to evaluate the nation’s next generation of highly skilled trade professionals. The organization’s goal is to improve lives and America’s future by promoting the prestige of manufacturing careers, increasing the manufacturing trade workforce training and education pipeline, and boosting the manufacturing industrial base.…
Celebrating Manufacturing Month
Every October marks a celebration of Manufacturing Month to highlight the importance of manufacturing innovation across the United States. Why we celebrate Manufacturing Month Manufacturing Month honors the success of manufacturers and encourages students or those looking to change career paths to explore the evolving industry. Thousands of businesses and schools participate in Manufacturing Month to recognize and promote the success of U.S. manufacturers in…
Meet Mastercam Partner: NASA HUNCH
What is NASA HUNCH? NASA HUNCH (High school students United with NASA to Create Hardware program) is a national instructional partnership between NASA and high school or intermediate/middle school students to participate in the design and fabrication of real-world value products for NASA. This year marks the 20th year for the popular program, with over 500 classroom programs participating across 46 states. HUNCH has sent…