Supporting Neurodiverse Talent Through Inclusive Manufacturing

SME and Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Support Neurodiverse Students 

The manufacturing and engineering sectors face a significant workforce shortage, a challenge that has reached crisis levels. However, innovative partnerships are emerging to address this gap by tapping into diverse talent pools. At SME's recent RAPID + TCT event in Detroit, within the innovative Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 experience, Rob Luce, Vice President of the SME Education Foundation, and Tara Havlicek, Program Manager for Grants Management, Disability, Inclusion and Volunteer Engagement for the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation, sat down to discuss the powerful partnership between their organizations. This collaboration aims to shape the next generation of manufacturing and engineering talent and address the critical talent gap by fostering new pathways into the industry. 

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation: A Legacy of Inclusion 

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation serves as the corporate foundation for the Mitsubishi Electric U.S. Group Companies. While many associate Mitsubishi with cars, Mitsubishi Electric's scope is far broader, encompassing heating and air conditioning, factory automation equipment, robots, CNCs, PLCs, and even iconic spiral escalators. As a foundation, the core mission revolves around supporting the inclusion of people with disabilities, specifically focusing on transitioning youth with disabilities from school to work. 

"We were established in 1990," Havlicek explained, "so almost 35 years and right after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, so I think there's a tie there, but we also surveyed the board and the employees at the time and overwhelmingly disability and children came to the top.” She noted that the foundation's initial work involved accessible technology and after-school programming, but a significant shift occurred around 2011. "Our board said, ‘It's wonderful if we can make sure kids have playgrounds, but at the end of the day, if they can't be independent, if they can't have a job and a career, you know we're not doing the best that we can,’ " said Havlicek. This pivot launched a sustained focus on education and workforce development that exists today.  

Addressing the Workforce Crisis: An Untapped Talent Pool 

Both foundations recognize the dire need for skilled staff in manufacturing. "You know, people keep hearing the numbers about their workforce,” said Havlicek. “There's more jobs than there are trained people to fill them. I'm not going to say talented people—there's talented people all over, people with and without disabilities. But unfortunately, they haven't been trained yet, right? We don't have enough people trained to fill the jobs that we have today, let alone in the future." 

Havlicek stressed the importance of corporate engagement in workforce development: "I think it's really important for people to think about companies and foundations to support workforce development programs, to train the students, and then also to prepare employers to be inclusive when we're thinking of people with disabilities."  

The impact of these programs extends beyond simply filling jobs. “Our main goal is really a mindset shift,” said Havlicek. She cited the Uniquely Abled Project, a program that originated at the College of the Canyons in California. This initiative trains young adults with autism for roles in CNC machining and robotics. Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation has been instrumental in funding the replication of this successful model, and Tooling U-SME has also been involved in the project for several years, providing a portion of the curriculum. Uniquely Abled is a great example of a strategy that SME champions: identifying a successful, local, workforce solution and then duplicating it in other regions.  

"It's wonderful to see that we have students go through that program, and they're at a 90 to 100 percent employment placement rate, and then they have high retention rates," said Havlicek. "I think that's really important for people to understand that when you hire somebody with a disability, it's not a charity. It's a benefit for both that employee and for the employer." Luce agreed, saying, "There's a whole pool of talent that is untapped."  

A New Scholarship to Empower Neurodiverse Students 

A highlight of Mitsubishi’s partnership with the SME Education Foundation is the newly announced Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation Scholarships for Neurodiverse Students. This program represents a significant step forward in removing financial barriers and creating new career pathways in manufacturing and engineering. The scholarship program will provide over $200,000 in financial assistance, targeting students with autism and other disabilities. 

Both Luce and Havlicek expressed their excitement about the new scholarship. “We’re proud to be supporting the scholarships for neurodiverse students and other disabilities," said Havlicek. She added, "We've been supporting the transition for CNC machining. We also fund a program with Aspiritech about training young adults with autism to be in quality assurance and software testing. But we haven't necessarily dabbled into what does it look like to get folks into the engineering field.” Havlicek pointed out that this latest endeavor will help expand the notion of what persons who are neurodiverse or persons with autism can do.  

Luce echoed this enthusiasm, saying, “It's our first such scholarship and we couldn't be more excited. So thanks again." The SME Education Foundation, as the philanthropic arm of SME, has a strong track record, annually awarding nearly one million dollars in scholarships and having provided $19 million to over 6,000 future industry leaders since 2005. This new scholarship builds upon that legacy, specifically championing neurodiversity in manufacturing and engineering. 

Cultivating Inclusive Pathways 

Both Luce and Havlicek offered valuable advice for educators and industry leaders seeking to create more inclusive pathways into the manufacturing space. 

For educators, Havlicek stressed the importance of exposure: "I would definitely say it's really about raising awareness and exposure to the manufacturing industry." She recounted a poignant experience: "Back when I did my first disability mentoring day, I remember the teachers bringing in a band of students, and they were 18, 19-year-old students with disabilities. They said this was the first time they had ever set foot in a workplace—office, warehouse, manufacturing facility. They don't have the same opportunities sometimes as their peers do. So, I would say to educators, if you can, bring kids in. Bring kids in with disabilities so they can see what the different career opportunities are in manufacturing and dispel those myths that they might have of what manufacturing looks like." Luce wholeheartedly agreed, stating, "I often say, manufacturing technology will sell the industry. You need only create that exposure, that opportunity to introduce them to the sector. And once the students see the technology in action, and they better understand how it all fits together, it's an exciting career opportunity for millions." 

For industry leaders, Havlicek emphasized a crucial message: "Accommodation isn't a bad word. Most accommodations cost little to nothing, and they have benefits across the board." She provided practical examples: "Some people use headphones when they're on zoom calls. It's much easier for everybody else in the office to not hear the constant chatter, so that accommodation can help other people.” She cited work instructions as another example. “When you think about work instructions—adding pictures to that in the manufacturing field—that might be accommodation for one person, but it helps all new hires that come in to learn how to do the job." Havlicek emphasized, "As you do accommodations, you start to realize that some of the accommodations for somebody with a disability have benefits to the entire company population."  

The partnership between the SME Education Foundation and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation is a testament to the power of collaboration in addressing critical workforce needs while championing diversity and inclusion. By supporting neurodiverse students and promoting inclusive practices, this partnership is helping to fill vital roles while also enriching the industry with diverse perspectives and talents. 

Learn More and Get Involved 

To learn more about the SME Education Foundation and its initiatives, including this exciting new scholarship program, please visit www.smeef.org.