Championing the need for hands-on skills education in America
PRLog - Jun. 18, 2014 - RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Today, President Obama is hosting the first-ever White House Maker Faire. He is meeting with students, entrepreneurs, and everyday citizens who are using new tools and techniques to launch new businesses, learn vital skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and fuel a Renaissance in American manufacturing. The President will also announce new steps the Administration and its partners are taking to support the ability of more Americans, young and old, to have to access to these tools and techniques that will enable them to bring their ideas to life. With these goals in mind, Vocademy-The Makerspace is a perfect fit for such an event. Founder/CEO Gene Sherman was invited to present his vision on how collaboration between education-focused makerspaces, industry, local governments, and education can bring the maker spirit back to the U.S and help keep America an innovation powerhouse.
Gene Sherman is an educator, entrepreneur and lifelong maker. By age 21 he was an experienced machinist and toolmaker, and later interacting with hundreds of manufacturing companies. He eventually ran his own small robotics start-up, and then worked at University of California – Riverside. His time at the university opened his eyes to the steep decline in hands-on skills being taught in school, which led him down the path towards opening a makerspace. He is one of only 100 people attending today’s Maker Faire.
Vocademy–The Makerspace is an education-focused makerspace; a membership-based facility which gives access to a variety of tools, equipment, and technology used in making. It is a modern version of what was known as shop class, and available to people of all ages. It is a place where Makers come to learn industrial arts using traditional hands-on skills and state-of-the-art technologies. People can choose what to learn, how much to learn and when to learn it. In addition, by becoming members, they can come back to perfect their skills and/or to create amazing things. The focus on education sets them apart from other makerspace business models, and is what influenced the White House to invite Sherman to their Maker Faire as an “Honored Maker”.
Sherman will also be seeking additional investors and corporate partnerships to help expand the Riverside, California location, and also to begin with replicating Vocademy’s model across the US.
Follow all the action at www.whitehouse.gov/MakerFaire and #NationOfMakers on Twitter. Vocademy – The Makerspace will be posting their experiences at www.vocademy.com, www.facebook.com/VocademyUSA, and @Vocademy on Twitter.
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Vocademy – The Makerspace Founder Invited to White House Maker Faire
June 18, 2014 at 16:50 PM EDT
