If the findings from the first two TCT UK User Group meetings are any sort of indicator, no matter where a conversation about additive manufacturing challenges may begin, it typically always leads to a discussion about skills.
From classrooms to apprenticeships and industrial strategies, there are many ways to tackle the gap in AM skills. We asked those across industry, academia and research: What is the single most important action that would help address the AM skills gap? Here’s what they had to say.
COURTNEY PUHL | EWD Senior Project Engineer | America Makes
“Addressing the skills gap is critical to growing the additive manufacturing industry. At America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, we collaborate with our members from industry, academia, and government to create comprehensive education and training programs that align closely with industry needs. Institute-developed awareness and inspiration programs are designed to widen the funnel, expose learners to career opportunities, and encourage individuals to enter programming that will bring them into the industry. Through career exploration tools and microlearning modules, the AM industry is made accessible to all learners regardless of age or circumstance. Learners inspired to pursue the next step of a career in AM can continue to more in-depth institute programs. By offering hands-on experience with cutting-edge tools, certifications, and clear career pathways, these programmes can equip the workforce with the specialised skills required for the rapidly evolving field of additive manufacturing.”
DR CANDICE MAJEWSKI | Senior Lecturer | School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering | The University of Sheffield
Candice Majewski
“I think there’s a danger that, when we talk about skills, we focus quite narrowly on the technical aspects of additive manufacturing. And while technical capabilities are without a doubt hugely important, we mustn’t let them obscure the need for a broader range of skills. For our industry to advance to meet its full potential we need ongoing innovation; for that we need new ideas, new perspectives and perhaps completely new mindsets. So the biggest question becomes, how do we attract a broader range of people? For me that means we need to be getting out there and speaking to the people we don’t normally reach. This might be as simple as spreading the word via events, magazines, and podcasts in new areas, but could also include AM-focused events targeting new audiences. If we can reach new people with accessible, easy to digest, information, we can hopefully get the influx of new people that will help transform the industry.”
MELISSA ORME | Vice President of Boeing Additive Manufacturing
Melissa Orme
Melissa Orme
“There is a recognised gap in the skilled workforce for additive manufacturing that is due in part to erroneous perceptions that AM, and all manufacturing for that matter, lacks career advancement and is not interesting or meaningful. Hence to address the AM skills gap, we need to change the perception that it is not interesting. The truth that needs to be conveyed is that AM is a high-tech capability that is based on digital integration. It uses modeling, simulation, big data analytics, machine learning, and AI. Engineers implementing AM are free to unleash their creativity and imaginations in ways that were never before possible in manufacturing. It is a capability that combines material science, structural mechanics, dynamics and data analytics.
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Exhibit at the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, TCT 3Sixty.
Hence, the first step is to interest the workforce in AM roles by promoting the allure of innovation and cutting-edge technologies that comprise the AM workstream. Once the motivated and energetic workforce begin to fill the workforce gaps, the second step is to train and upskill them at the same pace as the rapidly changing technology.”
LINUS TILLMANN | Education Working Group at Mobility Goes Additive
ELVINA KULINICENKO
“AM education is already addressed quite well at the university level, and we are seeing better AMeducated engineers graduating and entering the market. However, a skill gap persists throughout the industry, preventing AM from breaking through as a universally adopted production technology with its own design and production rules. Standardised training programs would provide a common language, framework, and skill set, making it easier to acquire the necessary skills and for employers to identify qualified personnel. Numerous training systems already exist, offered by various market players and institutes, some of which provide certifications for specific roles within the AM supply chain. Implementing standardised training programs at a higher level would improve transparency and comparability across training offerings, certifications, and the qualifications of trained personnel.”
ANDREW ALLSHORN | Founder at AT 3D-Squared Ltd
“This is a compelling topic that’s been close to my heart for many years, particularly since I donated an SLA 250 to my former high school. The primary challenge in bridging the additive manufacturing skills gap is raising awareness. The optimal approach would involve incorporating additive manufacturing into the school curriculum, ensuring that every Design and Technology class includes it. However, it should not be limited to just D&T; it must be made available across all subjects, including Sciences, Engineering, Culinary Arts, and the Humanities, as it is relevant to every aspect of our lives. The earlier we can introduce additive manufacturing to students, the more beneficial it will be for the future of our industry.”
PROFESSOR KATE BLACK | CEO & Founder at Atomik AM
“We need to implement targeted education and training programs that integrate AM into the broader manufacturing landscape. For too long, we have viewed AM as either a replacement for, or an alternative to traditional methods, when it should be seen as a complementary tool, one that works synergistically with existing manufacturing. The goal should not be to replace traditional
manufacturing but to enhance and augment it through AM, creating a more versatile and adaptive manufacturing ecosystem. This means training programs must emphasise how AM can coexist with and enhance established techniques, equipping workers with the knowledge to leverage both sets of skills effectively.
For this, fostering better communication and collaboration between academia and industry is required. Industry needs to provide guidance on the specific skills required, while educational institutions must adapt their curriculum accordingly. This way we can ensure the future workforce is equipped with the right mix of competencies to thrive in a manufacturing environment.”
STEVE COX | 3D Technologies Consultant at AMFORi Consulting
“Firstly, we need to re-establish the essential fundamental of having a defined UK Industrial Strategy. This would help frame the skills gap that exists across all of UK manufacturing but would cover the specific needs required for AM to continue to grow and flourish.
The 2024 TCT User Group perspective was that those who have grown up exposed to 3D printing through secondary and higher education has improved the numbers entering industry with AM skills, but it’s not improving fast enough. So perhaps that acceleration needs to come through upskilling older workers, especially those in SME’s where potential for adoption is still very significant but where I see it being held back by concern over the necessary skills needed. This won’t be easy, but perhaps creating a government-sponsored collaboration programme where those larger companies who have successfully implemented AM help to facilitate that upskilling could be a solution.”
WAI YEE YEONG | Professor and Chair of School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at NTU Singapore
“AM involves engineering principles in a holistic manner, covering different aspects including design-process-material and product development. The key is the ability to identify unique advantages of using AM to achieve better final performance of the intended application. It is important to develop hands-on workshops or laboratory-based design and fabrication modules that allow learners to experience the entire process flow of AM from design to print. As a result, learners will be able to map the key values of using AM technology for the specific industry or application.”
