Throughout November, ISA is offering its members special benefits, promotions and discounts on multi-day classroom or online, instructor-assisted ISA training* and other select ISA products, which include technician guides, safety books and cybersecurity resources.

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA (02 November 2015) — The International Society of Automation (ISA) and its affiliate, the Automation Federation, have designated November 2015 as Automation Appreciation Month.

"Automation Appreciation Month is an opportunity to celebrate the value and importance of the automation discipline, and to thank ISA members for their dedication and volunteerism to the Society and to the automation profession as a whole," says Patrick Gouhin, ISA Executive Director and CEO.

Throughout November, ISA is offering its members special benefits, promotions and discounts on multi-day classroom or online, instructor-assisted ISA training* and other select ISA products, which include technician guides, safety books and cybersecurity resources. (To view a list of all the special Automation Appreciation Month offers for ISA members. Interested in becoming an ISA member? Review ISAs member benefits page.)

As part of Automation Appreciation Months celebration of the automation profession, ISA and the Automation Federation seek to raise awareness throughout industry and manufacturing around the need to encourage more young people to pursue STEM-centered learning—which is essential to developing the next generation of automation professionals.

Throughout October, ISA highlighted—through emails distributed to its membership—four valuable ways ISA members can contribute to STEM initiatives. They include:

* Hosting a workplace tour for students
* Organizing an automation career fair or related event
* Sponsoring, participating in or contributing to a robotics or STEM-related activity
* Serving as a mentor—speaking at a school or to others about automation-related careers

All automation professionals, engineers and others within STEM-centric career fields will find numerous ways to get involved through programs established by ISA- and Automation Federation-supported affiliates, such as:

* FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
* DiscoverE (formerly The Engineers Week Foundation)
* Project Lead The Way

Increasing the supply of workers qualified and prepared to compete for high-tech jobs is perhaps the most pressing challenge facing manufacturers worldwide. Experts project that over the next 10 years nearly 3.5 million manufacturing jobs in the US will be needed. However, because of the ongoing shortage of skilled workers, up to 2 million of these jobs may go unfilled.

Today, six out of 10 production jobs remain open because of the talent shortage, according to a recent study by The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte.

Boosting the availability of STEM-savvy workers provides manufacturers with the competent workforce needed to drive corporate growth and meet critical performance metrics. For qualified employees, todays jobs in manufacturing are well paying and offer solid advancement potential. The average annual salary of a manufacturing worker is $77,000.

For more details on Automation Appreciation Month and to learn how you can help encourage and support young people in their STEM learning, visit www.isa.org/aam.

* Buy one, get one for 50% off. Applies to any multi-day classroom or online, instructor-assisted ISA training course scheduled between November 2015 and March 2016.

Attention ISA members! Get more information on how to get involved or share your advocacy experiences

Would you or your ISA section like more ideas about how to get involved in STEM activities in your local community? Or, do you already have some to share? Tell us! Are you interested in becoming an ISA mentor to students, military personnel transitioning to civilian careers or other adults interested in automation? Take the first step!

About ISA
The International Society of Automation (www.isa.org) is a nonprofit professional association that sets the standard for those who apply engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and cybersecurity of modern automation and control systems used across industry and critical infrastructure. Founded in 1945, ISA develops widely used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs for its 36,000 members and 350,000 customers around the world

ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation (www.automationfederation.org), an association of non-profit organizations serving as "The Voice of Automation." Through a wholly owned subsidiary, ISA bridges the gap between standards and their implementation with the ISA Security Compliance Institute (www.isasecure.org) and the ISA Wireless Compliance Institute (www.isa100wci.org).

About the Automation Federation
The Automation Federation is a global umbrella organization of sixteen (16) member organizations and six working groups engaged in automation activities. The Automation Federation enables its members to more effectively fulfill their missions, advance the science and engineering of automation technologies and applications, and develop the workforce needed to capitalize on the benefits of automation. The Automation Federation is the "Voice of Automation." For more information about the Automation Federation, visit www.automationfederation.org.