The South Coast Fab Lab, located in the Gateway city of New Bedford, Massachusetts, will be part of an international network of advanced technology labs which democratizes access to tools for digital fabrication, education and training to the local community. The South Coast Fab Lab will be chartered to be a critical tool for advancing the South Coast workforce development system – enabling all stakeholders to learn about advanced technology tools – and practice and build with these tools to improve the skills of our local residents. The South Coast Fab Lab will join the region and provide a 21st century tool for progress in our 10-community local economy stretching from Dartmouth to Wareham, Massachusetts.
The South Coast Fab Lab will be one part of the larger workforce development system in New Bedford and the South Coast and will be a facility and program overseen by the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, Inc. Fab Lab is organized and run in partnership with several key stakeholders including: area businesses, the City of New Bedford, the New Bedford Economic Development Council, the New Bedford Industrial Foundation, Youth Build, the school districts, local businesses, and community organizations.
Fab Lab contributes and strengthens several existing activities and programs including the Youth Annex, CVTE programs, AMPItUp!, and SMAMC. The partnerships align with the South Coast’s priority industry clusters and career pathways in advanced manufacturing, maritime, and healthcare.
A signature program for youth proposed is the Surfboard Shaper @ South Coast Fab Lab program. This signature program utilizes the artistic and cultural practice of surfboard shaping and advanced surfboard technology with CNC Machine/CAD Engineering coupled with sound environmental practices to support the creative needs of manufacturing sectors, as well as the arts on the South Coast of Massachusetts. In partnership with area entrepreneurs, the program will give students technical skills and an appreciation of business entrepreneurship and artistic skill development.