Spurred on by federal investment, the advanced manufacturing sector in the United States is experiencing tremendous growth. But this growth could be curtailed if students don’t know about the opportunities that exist within manufacturing careers or if they can’t learn the skills needed to take advantage of these opportunities.

There were 449,000 job openings in manufacturing throughout the United States in March 2025, up from 445,000 the month before. These figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as reported by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). What’s more, an analysis from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute projects that the U.S. will need 3.8 million new manufacturing employees by 2033.

Of these 3.8 million new jobs, about 2.8 million will come from retiring workers and 760,000 will stem from industry growth, the analysis says. Another 234,000 jobs will be created as a result of recent legislative action. For instance, thanks to federal legislation such as the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act, nearly 300 new clean technology, semiconductor, and electronics manufacturing facilities have been announced and are scheduled for completion by 2031.

However, the analysis also warns that nearly 2 million of these new manufacturing job openings could go unfilled if we don’t inspire more young people to pursue manufacturing careers.

Although the growth in advanced manufacturing within the United States is driving the need for more workers at every level of experience, from entry-level associates to skilled production workers and engineers, there is a shortage of potential candidates applying for these positions. “This could impact the ability of manufacturers to fully capitalize on this recent growth in public and private investment,” the Deloitte report states.

Complicating the search for talent is the evolving nature of the skills required for advanced manufacturing jobs. As manufacturing plants transition into smart factories driven by automation and AI, employers need workers who are skilled in operating and troubleshooting the robotics systems these Industry 4.0 facilities rely on.

High schools have a key role to fulfill in meeting the demand for manufacturing employees. With manufacturers in dire need of workers who are skilled in modern tools and processes, schools should be communicating to students about the opportunities that exist within this sector—and career and technical education programs should be preparing students for jobs in this high-growth area.

Starting a CTE program in advanced manufacturing doesn’t just fill an important workforce need. It also benefits students in many ways.

For example, it gives students well-paying and long-term career options, whether they plan to attend college or not. Not every student is destined for college, but training and certification within advanced manufacturing can prepare students for stable and satisfying jobs that pay well even without a four-year degree.

According to NAM, manufacturing employees earned an average of $102,629 in pay and benefits in 2023, about $16,000 higher than the average for workers in private nonfarm industries overall. The average hourly pay for production and nonsupervisory workers in manufacturing is about $29, with 4.7% growth in wages over the past 12 months.

An advanced manufacturing program at the high school level serves as a bridge between students’ interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) topics and practical career instruction.

While STEM-based programming is designed to encourage students toward STEM careers, the link from STEM courses to technology jobs is often missing. By taking part in an advanced manufacturing CTE program in high school, students who are naturally drawn to technology can apply their passion in a hands-on way by learning how to program and operate robotics within a modern manufacturing environment.

To learn how Intelitek can support advanced manufacturing programs in high school, click here.