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Every edition of the Smartforce Student Summit features new and exciting opportunities for students and educators in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and this 11th edition is no exception. This year, experiences such as Learning Labs, a Manufacturing Classroom of the Future, Student Mentor Labs, a FIRST Robotics display and more are offering attendees deep dives into the latest technology and industry trends, as well as career and technical education opportunities. 

The Student Summit runs every day during the show, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the North Building, Hall C. Students of all ages are welcome to attend, including elementary, middle school, high school and college/technical school students.

“Our industry’s goal for this Student Summit is to shine a light on dozens of career pathways that are available for students, to raise their awareness and get them enthusiastic about the many specific kinds of career options open and available to them in manufacturing today and in the future,” says Greg Jones, vice president of Smartforce development at AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology.

Exhibitors at the Student Summit display smart manufacturing technologies focused on machine control connectivity, the Industrial Internet of Things, augmented reality/virtual reality, additive manufacturing, collaborative robotics, artificial intelligence machine learning and more.

As in years past, IMTS will give back to STEM schools in Chicago and surrounding areas for long after the show takes place.

“With donations from the Miles for Manufacturing 5K run and a new Celebrate Manufacturing event on Tuesday evening at the show, we’ll announce donations in cash and equipment to under-served, under-represented communities in the Chicago Public Schools and nearby suburbs of Illinois.”

Emphasizing the importance of STEM careers and sparking young students’ interests in this field has never been more relevant, as machine shops across the country continue to experience hardships in finding skilled workers. Students need to see that there are exciting opportunities available to them in this career that can pay well, provide room for advancement and don’t require going into debt for years in order to learn the necessary skills. The Smartforce Student Summit is playing an important role in educating students about these opportunities.