Advanced technology programs at the University of Hartford are supporting a significant evolution in manufacturing across Connecticut, and have been highlighted by the CT Mirror and other media this week.
The transformation—dubbed Industry 4.0—is requiring manufacturing companies to focus on artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data, and to quickly find employees with expertise in those areas.
The story on the change, as well as UHart’s efforts, ran in the CT Mirror, the Hartford Courant, the Journal Inquirer, WSHU, and the Hartford Business Journal.
Hisham Alnajjar, dean of UHart’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture and a member of the state’s Commerce Committee’s Manufacturing Technology Working Group, says higher education must offer and continue to adjust new programming to meet the demands of both students and employers. As more companies alter operations, the state must consistently see new graduates who can seamlessly enter advanced manufacturing roles, Alnajjar explained to the CT Mirror.
Jobs in industrial, mechanical, and electronics engineering will continue to drastically grow over the next several years, and in a state that’s home to a dominant aerospace industry, UHart’s aerospace major is critical to the local economic base. It’s the only one of its kind in the state.
Programs like aerospace engineering, along with others like robotics and electromechanical engineering, have been enriched by UHart’s recently built state-of-the-art Hursey Center, which houses high-tech labs, industry-standard equipment, and much more. Alnajjar said Hursey was designed with future Industry 4.0 employer and workforce needs in mind.
Students graduating from such majors will continue to be in high demand as Industry 4.0 grows its impact on manufacturing companies.