HARRISBURG, PA — As the United States accelerates efforts to re-shore manufacturing, leaders in government and industry are working to strengthen the nation’s capacity to design, produce, and innovate at home. From bipartisan initiatives in the Congress to new investments by US companies, the momentum to return advanced manufacturing to American soil reflects both economic necessity and strategic importance.
Federal support has been pivotal in creating pathways for manufacturers to re-shore in the United States – particularly in electronics manufacturing. Under the CHIPS and Science Act, the US Commerce Department has announced more than $32.5 billion in grants and up to $5.85 billion in loans across 48 semiconductor projects.
Meeting this demand requires more than policy and capital; it calls for a new generation of highly trained, job-ready graduates. Today’s manufacturers need professionals who not only understand theory but can also apply hands-on expertise in additive manufacturing (3D printing), 3D scanning, automation, reverse engineering, and material science. Graduates with the skills to operate advanced manufacturing equipment already used across industry will be the backbone of America’s re-shoring movement in the years ahead.
A story by FOX43’s Sydney Nauman takes a look behind the scenes at Harrisburg University’s Advanced Manufacturing & Robotics program – a unique academic degree centered on hands-on learning, intensive research projects, and close collaboration with innovative employers. The focus is not on the manufacturing skills of the past but rather where manufacturing is headed next – and preparing students to step into rewarding, good-paying jobs right after college.
“Our students are always in the laboratory,” said LJ Holmes, Executive Director of STORMWERX, Harrisburg University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Center. “They literally work side by side with engineers in industry and in government research labs. That gives them immediate access to knowledge.”
“It’s not just manufacturing things with saws and hammers,” added Dr. Richard Pitts, Jr., Program Lead for Advanced Manufacturing. “We’re now automating and digitizing everything such that machinery can be computer-controlled. This is a program that’s actually building the workforce of the future. These machines aren’t going to take your place; we want people to learn how to work with them so we can build up [America’s] manufacturing skills.”
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, fields related to Advanced Manufacturing – automation and electronics engineers, mechanical engineers, semiconductor technicians, and others – are set for “much faster than average” growth compared to the average industry.
For more information about how Harrisburg University is preparing the Advanced Manufacturing workforce of the future, please visit HarrisburgU.edu or start a conversation with the Harrisburg University Admissions Team today.
Want to visit HU and see our manufacturing and robotics labs up close? Bring your student – or your whole class! – and join us for Advanced Manufacturing Day at Harrisburg University on November 11, 2025.
ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Harrisburg University was recognized by US News & World Report as one of the nation’s most innovative colleges for 2025. HU is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a private, nonprofit university offering bachelor’s and graduate degree programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, nursing, and other health science fields. For additional information about HU’s affordable, demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, please call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay updated by following Harrisburg University on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
MEDIA CONTACT
Do you have questions about this story? Interested in lining up an interview with a faculty member? Please reach out to Dan Wilhelm, Communications Manager for Harrisburg University of Science & Technology, with all media inquiries.
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