Georgia Tech Joins National Workforce Behind America’s Manufacturing Comeback

Georgia Tech is joining a new national effort to prepare the engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs, and industrial leaders needed to strengthen American manufacturing.

Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the launch of Foundry School, a national advanced manufacturing education initiative led by Stanford University in partnership with Georgia Tech and six other universities. At Tech, the program will bring industry experts and leaders from advanced manufacturing companies to campus for talks with students about what it takes to build and operate world-class manufacturing enterprises.

The initiative comes as the United States works to expand domestic manufacturing capacity and address a growing need for skilled workers. The State Department estimates American manufacturers will need to fill 3.8 million jobs by 2033 across industries including semiconductors, defense, and energy.

For Tech, that national effort builds on work already underway across the Institute.

Tech's Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF) recently expanded to 60,000 square feet, creating a next-generation environment where industry, researchers, and students develop, test, and scale advanced manufacturing technologies. The facility is incorporating artificial intelligence, robotics, and connected equipment to accelerate the path from research to production.

"The launch of Foundry School recognizes something we have seen here at Georgia Tech for years: Rebuilding American manufacturing requires more than building factories," said Tim Lieuwen, executive vice president for research at Georgia Tech. "It requires the talent, technology, research, and industry partnerships to make those factories successful. Georgia Tech is already bringing those pieces together - helping move technologies from the lab toward production while preparing the people who will drive the next generation of American manufacturing."

The AMPF is part of a broader Georgia Tech ecosystem that connects research and education with industry and workforce partners, including the Technical College System of Georgia. Georgia Tech also has longstanding relationships with nations participating in the State Department's Pax Silica initiative.

As manufacturing investment grows in Georgia and across the country, Georgia Tech is helping develop the technology, talent, and partnerships needed to support that growth.