MI2 Project Updates

While MI2’s core focus in its first six months was the formation and guidance of its foundational Strategy Groups matched against the four Strategic Focus Areas laid out by the MI2 Metals Leadership Council, that foundational work is already driving an array of projects and initiatives that the MI2 core team is helping to support and enable. Here are a few updates on those activities:

IdeaFestival Bowling Green

MI2 CEO Vijay Kamineni and Director of Strategic Communications Sam Ford participated in the IdeaFestival Bowling Green on Thursday, February 16th, on the campus of Western Kentucky University. The event–organized by the WKU Center for Gifted Studies–invited more than 650 middle school and high school students from across the Commonwealth to hear and see inspiring technologies and career paths to drive them to think about what they want to pursue.

For MI2, this was our first opportunity to test our approach and messaging with a K-12 audience to consider a career path in advanced manufacturing with the Kentucky metals industry. This was accomplished with videos from leaders throughout the MI2 ecosystem, a takeaway piece highlighting innovative career opportunities working with emerging technologies in the metals industry, and a challenge for students to name as many metals in their immediate surroundings as possible in 90 seconds.

Between 150-200 students stopped in particular at the MI2 table, and the three top student teams (from Warren County, Daviess County, and Caverna/Hart County) were able to name more than 40 items with metal in the room in 90 seconds, taking home a prize of a (metal) bottle of water. The event also resulted in three requests from schools for MI2 to come to speak to students and a discussion underway with the Gatton Academy Academy of Mathematics and Science about a potential internship pilot.

Elsewhere:

• The MI2 partnership with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce to build a Bus to Business program particular to the Kentucky metals industry is progressing quickly. This approach is currently being piloted with a tour at MI2 member company Nucor for high school students at two participating schools–the Boone County Area Technology Center and Grant County High School, with both trips being planned for mid-to-late April. A future Bus to Business pilot is also being planned in partnership with MI2 member company Logan Aluminum. We are looking forward to expanding this program in the months ahead after execution of our initial pilots.
• MI2 has now officially kicked off its project with Fox Management Consulting mentioned in our February 2nd update. The FMC team will be working with the MI2 core team and our Talent and Workforce Strategy Group to build the strategy for the Ketnucky metals talent pipeline of the future. As part of the project, FMC is auditing our current talent ecosystem statewide and envisioning that ecosystem’s future needs. The FMC team will ultimately recommend solutions that will help define projects for MI2 to lead that will proactively build that talent pipeline of the future.
• Plans are coming together rapidly for a Factory of the Future conference organized by MI2. While more details will be announced in the weeks ahead, the event is being planned for the first half of September. Look for further updates to be shared in the next MI2 monthly newsletter.