More than 500 advanced technology companies are gathering for the New York State Innovation Summit. 

As the advanced manufacturing industry continues to grow in New York state, the importance of a strong workforce is vital. Spectrum News 1 spoke to company representatives and leaders at the Syracuse event about the challenges.

It was a wakeup call being at the summit and talking to the different companies, and really puts into perspective how much New Yorkers may not know about New York's cutting-edge manufacturing.

Some answers to questions may not make sense to those outside the industry. That’s the challenge it faces: How can it teach a really complex subject to people in a way that makes them excited about it?

According to investment company BlackRock, the U.S. manufacturing industry is projected to create almost 4 million new job openings by 2033. With huge companies like WolfSpeed and GlobalFoundries in New York – and Micron on the way – many look at New York state as a window of opportunity.

That’s evidenced by the more than 500 companies attending the innovation summit, which continues on Tuesday. The companies are feeling the struggle of hiring qualified employees firsthand. 

“The challenges we face is everybody sees a robot and immediately says, 'What jobs are you going to take?’" said Jeffrey Sciera, robot specialist at the Ralph W. Earl Co. "That actually doesn’t happen at a lot of our other manufacturers. There’s such a huge need for labor, that every time we install a robot, they just move the labor force into another job that’s more suited for a human.” 

STEM programs at schools are vital for the next generation to get hands-on experience, and see if they like doing this work.  

“Because again, when you talk about semiconductor manufacturing, that’s a very abstract. Right, like what is that?" said Ben Verschueren, executive director of NYSTAR. "When people think about manufacturing, they think about a traditional factory job. That is not what these fabs look like. That’s not what a career in semiconductor manufacturing looks like.” 

The programs are making an impact. 

One high school student who is really into drones said the hands-on experience he’s gotten has really sparked an even stronger love of drones in him. These programs are essential to get young people involved and build up this workforce in New York.