The skills gap in science and technology is an issue affecting the industry on a global scale. Now, a new partnership between Purdue University and Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division is making a difference.

If you’ve ever looked at a timeline of significant scientific discoveries, you’ll notice certain trends. The earliest discoveries are thousands, even tens of thousands of years apart. The first stone tools are thought to date from around 3 million years ago. When we talk about the Stone Age, we usually mean about 10,000 years B.C. Then there’s the Bronze Age (2,500 B.C.) and the Iron Age (700 B.C.).

After that, important advances come at an ever-increasing rate. One discovery paves the way for many others. We’ve had more scientific discoveries that have radically changed the world during the past 100 years than in the past 10,000.

At that rate of change, it’s no wonder we’re experiencing a global skills gap in science and technology.

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