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The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing, or ARM, Institute today said it will support a local student with a new scholarship worth a year of Industrial Arts Workshop, or IAW, core programming. Based in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, the institute said it wants to help provide opportunities to community residents as part of its overall mission to strengthen U.S. manufacturing with robotics and workforce development.

“We are proud to provide this funding to IAW for the Hazelwood community,” said Ira Moskowitz, CEO of the ARM Institute, in a release. “Welding training provides both a pathway to a well-paying job and inspires artistic expression.”

“As one of our core values, regional engagement is important to the ARM Institute team,” he added. “We selected IAW for this scholarship specifically to strengthen our outreach in our community in Hazelwood.”

IAW offers hands-on training

The Industrial Arts Workshop provides hands-on welding and sculpture design training to help Pittsburgh-area youth and adults develop skills for jobs in welding, the arts, or another field altogether. Beginning in January, the ARM Institute Scholarship will fund a scholarship to cover instruction in welding and metalworking techniques. It will also include instructor time, materials, welding equipment use, and personal safety gear.

“IAW is excited to accept the first-ever ARM Institute scholarship to support a local welding student for the 2024 calendar year,” said Tim Kaulen, executive director of IAW.

“The ARM Institute scholarship is an incredible opportunity for IAW, both in terms of offsetting true costs in program support, but also in validating our work to the industry sector, as we solidify our role in the workforce ecosystem, and continue to do our part in introducing youth to meaningful career opportunities,” he said.

Hazelwood is one of Pittsburgh’s 90 diverse neighborhoods, many of which relied on the steel industry and lost population and resources as production shifted to other locations. The ARM Institute said its partnership with IAW will help “deepen its reach into the community.”

The scholarship builds on the institute‘s existing relationship with its neighbor. This has included hosting IAW student tours of its headquarters at Mill 19 in Hazelwood.

The ARM Institute recently added automated welding capabilities to its Robotics Manufacturing Hub. It said this new capability and other robotic demonstrations at Mill 19 will help students understand how their education at IAW can lead to careers in manufacturing.

Institute supports national, regional initiatives

The ARM Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute and a member of the Manufacturing USA Network funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. The institute said it works with more than 400 member organizations across industry, government, and academia to support U.S. manufacturing competitiveness and resilience.

While the ARM Institute is a national organization, it supports several local programs, including the Pittsburgh Robotics Manufacturing Hub and Innovation Accelerator Program through the region’s Build Back Better award.

It also won a U.S. Department of Labor grant for dislocated workers around Pittsburgh and its efforts in the Pittsburgh Workforce Hub supplement its national programs.

ARM names annual champions

At the ARM Institute’s annual member meeting last month, it named 12 “Champions,” honoring members who have gone “above and beyond” its mission.

“Our annual Champion awards recognize members who have gone above the scope of membership to enable our mission,” stated Jay Douglass, chief operating officer of the ARM Institute. “The diversity of the Champions and the companies represented by the Champions epitomizes the uniqueness of our member consortium.”