Hampton Roads Advanced Manufacturing Summit set for Oct. 11 at the Constant Center
October 05, 2018
By Joe Garvey
The College of Continuing Education and Professional Development will host its second Hampton Roads Advanced Manufacturing Summit on Oct. 11 in the Big Blue Room at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.
The summit, which will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., is designed to encourage innovation and collaboration among University, community college and industry professionals and local economic development officials. Each session and interactive discussion will consist of a panel of engineering faculty members, their industry counterparts, and state and local officials as they address topics such as digital manufacturing, skills gaps, improving manufacturing competitiveness and other manufacturing trends and issues.
Four technical panels will cover the following topics: engineering systems, digital manufacturing, advanced materials and advanced manufacturing systems.
ODU President John R. Broderick will give the opening remarks. State Del. David E. Yancey will be the keynote speaker.
Manufacturing is an important driver of the Hampton Roads economy. The Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce reports that there are more than 280 manufacturing companies in the region employing more than 36,000 people. Mechanical and industrial engineers account for nearly 3,000 of those jobs.
The event sponsors are Opportunity Inc. and Walmart. Established by the Hampton Roads Workforce Development Board, Opportunity Inc. oversees workforce development programs for eight localities in South and Western Hampton Roads. The organization provides strategic workforce development solutions designed to assist businesses in accessing qualified workers and job seekers in search of suitable job openings and training opportunities to bolster their earning potential. Walmart is a multinational retail corporation employing approximately 1.5 million in the United States alone. With nearly 260 million customers shopping at a location each week, Walmart has a program to increase U.S. supply-chain purchases by $50 billion annually by January 2023.
For more information about the summit, including registration fees, call 757-453-6867 or email Here4U@odu.edu.
