The Smartforce Student Summit will be held at IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, Sept. 12-17, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Produced by the Smartforce Development team of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and operates IMTS, the Student Summit brings together students from elementary school through college, scout troops, robotics and STEM clubs, home-schooled students, and educators of all levels to explore the latest Industry 4.0 digital technologies driving manufacturing today.

Students can look forward to fun, interactive, and engaging exhibits from leading manufacturers demonstrating breakthrough technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality, generative design, digital twin, and more. The event benefits educators by informing curricula to ensure classrooms align with the standard practices of the modern manufacturing workplace to include shop safety, technical skills and acumen, problem-solving, critical thinking, and more. 

New in 2022, attendees will go beyond learning about manufacturing technologies to better understand how advanced machinery and software synchronize to build the equipment and infrastructure necessary for cutting-edge products and programs across industries. Examples of the possibilities these technologies produce will appear in inspiring exhibits from NASA Artemis, which relies on advanced manufacturing for long-term space exploration and the agency’s upcoming return to the moon, and Boston Dynamics, featuring Spot the Robot Dog, a revolutionary robot that combines automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence for terrain navigation, safety, inspection, and manufacturing.

This year, for the first time, to support the Student Summit’s commitment toward career connections, industry job openings for students will be just a few clicks away. Smartforce Career Connections will allow exhibitors at the summit to display QR codes that, when scanned, link students directly with exciting job opportunities in manufacturing technology. 

The Student Summit plays a key role in AMT Smartforce Development’s efforts at guiding current students toward fulfilling and well-paying careers in manufacturing, as well as updating the perception of manufacturing as a technology-driven, digital field. At IMTS 2018, over 24,000 attendees visited the summit, representing a diverse population of students and young people of all ages, backgrounds, and groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in manufacturing. The summit collaborates with the Miles For Manufacturing (M4M) 5K Race held at IMTS and other AMT events throughout the year for additional funding and support. All fees and proceeds of the M4M 5K are donated to community-based organizations that champion students in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), CPS STEM schools, and FIRST robotics teams to promote education and career pathways to manufacturing.