Doylestown Agency Gets Grant to Give Middle Schoolers Hands-On Experience in Technical Careers

DOYLESTOWN, PA—A local program to boost interest among middle schoolers in science and math got a big boost with a $200,000 state grant this week.

The Fab Lab Career Awareness Program, which is run by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, received a Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career grant from the state on Monday. The program gives middle schoolers in Bucks County chances to learn about advanced manufacturing, computer science and digital fabrication both in school and out of school.

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The grant will be used to give students hands-on learning experiences to raise their awareness of careers in these areas. Students will go on-site to companies involved in manufacturing that are using advanced technology. They will also use virtual reality technology to simulate hands-on experiences in these types of industries.

The FabLab program aims to work with and train more than 4,000 students in advanced technology over the next two years.

Pennsylvania officials want to offer technical career training to students to develop a pipeline of workers for manufacturing jobs that use advanced technology. That will help not only meet these industries’ growing need for workers, but it gives Pennsylvanians jobs that pay “family-sustaining wages.”

“This investment creates more opportunities for our students by giving them the skills and experiences they need to pursue manufacturing and STEAM careers,” Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger said in a statement. “The Shapiro Administration is proud to support the Fab Lab Career Awareness Program as it inspires young people and provides the advanced technology training that can put them on the path to a good paying career and supports the needs of regional industries.”

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Many Bucks County students know the Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s Fab Lab program from visits by the Mobile Fab Lab. The program has a large van that brings equipment including a laser engraver, 3D printers and vinyl cutters to schools around Bucks County. The program introduces students to concepts in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) to support 21st-century learning.

More information on the Mobile Fab Lab is on the Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s website.

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