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Fab Lab Hub and 3D PrintLife Collaborate to Provide Trained Service Technicians to 3D Printing End Users

May 14, 2019 | Categories: Member News

May 6, 2019: At the 2019 RAPID conference in Detroit May 21 to the 23rd, America Makes member Fab Lab Hub, LLC and 3D PrintLife will be announcing a collaboration to provide skilled operators and service technicians for 3D Printing consulting jobs.

3D PrintLife’s Life Support program is a global tech referral platform for all things 3d printing. Life Support connects end users with 3D printing experts who can provide technical support for a wide range of issues from optimizing a CAD file to installing and calibrating a machine.

Remote projects such as Design for 3D Printing and phone consultation will complement local, onsite troubleshooting, maintenance and repair.  Full and part-time jobs can also be listed on the platform, providing further opportunities to connect 3D Printing technologists with industry, designers, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, libraries, healthcare facilities, Fab Labs and makerspaces.

Fab Lab Hub’s Digital Badge micro-credentialing system for New Collar jobs provides short-term, affordable certification of skills needed by operators and service technicians in the Life Support network.  Through funding via America Makes, Fab Lab Hub convened 10 colleges and Fab Labs to create Master Badges for operators and service technicians, respectively.  FDM and SLA technologies are the first two areas where the Master Badges will be offered, followed by 3D Printing safety and powder-based additive manufacturing.

Fab Lab Hub founder and CEO, Sarah Boisvert expresses optimism for the program.  “Education is changing and even schools like Harvard and MIT are exploring shorter, more affordable training models like Digital Badges to bridge the skills gap.  With 250 fab labs in North America, we have a good start on bringing additive manufacturing training to the New Collar Workforce.”

3D Life Support participants who hold the New Collar credential will be identified on the Life Support website, giving end-users an added layer of confidence in technical competencies.  The badges will be offered in the next few months through members of the new non-profit North American Digital Fabrication Alliance.  3D Printlife co-founder Buzz Baldwin reiterates: “We are looking to provide the highest quality service to our Life Support clients, and the Digital Badges ensure consistency across service providers.”

RAPID attendees will have the opportunity to sign up for a free New Collar Network membership or as a 3D PrintLife Life Support expert.  Fab Lab Hub’s founder Sarah Boisvert will also be available to sign her book, The New Collar Workforce.

Media Contacts:
Fab Lab Hub, LLC and New Collar Network:
Sarah Boisvert
Sarah@NewCollarNetwork.com
Twitter @NewCollarNetwrk

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