Image courtesy KState

Kansas State University announced it is launching a $1 million initiative to strengthen the state’s manufacturing workforce by expanding access to technical training, enhancing STEM instruction, and providing personalized career advising in rural schools. Funded by the Patterson Family Foundation, the project, titled Fabricating Futures, is a collaboration between the Kansas State College Advising Corps, the Rural Education Center, and the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering.

Over two years, the program will support more than 1,500 students and 14 teachers, equipping seven rural high schools with FabLabs featuring robotics, laser, and advanced manufacturing technologies. Faculty will coach teachers and students to add these tools into instruction, while full-time advisors will provide one-on-one career guidance, connect students with local manufacturers, and facilitate internships and apprenticeships.

The project helps solve worker shortages in Kansas manufacturing and gives rural students better career guidance. It creates a clear path from high school to jobs in advanced manufacturing and engineering, while also helping students prepare for college, apply, and access financial aid.