University of Michigan

Most manufacturers today rely on outside expertise to ensure they have a secure environment to protect their most critical assets. Cybersecurity is not an area that the traditional manufacturing workforce is equipped to implement and maintain. The challenge is that cyber professionals are experts in cybersecurity, not manufacturing. There is a significant lack of cybersecurity talent that can serve and support the unique needs of the manufacturing environment.

The Advanced Manufacturing Cybersecurity Work-and-Learn Program (AMCP), developed by the Economic Growth Institute at the University of Michigan, will prepare the workforce of the future to not only have solid foundational training in cybersecurity but also develop an understanding of the manufacturing environment to most effectively serve this critical sector. Through a work-and-learn structure, this future workforce will learn through structured online curriculum and hands-on learning labs. They will apply their learning as they assist manufacturers directly through a manufacturing internship or by developing their own cybersecurity business to serve manufacturers and employ a larger workforce from this same talent pipeline.

Cybersecurity is the foundation to ensure manufacturers across Southeast Michigan are prepared to integrate newly innovative technologies and develop their advanced manufacturing capabilities to continue to grow employment in the region. Developing a cybersecurity workforce that knows the criticalities of the manufacturing sector will not only secure its most critical employers but will also prepare it to compete on a global scale, improving workforce retention.