Advancing Technicians in Manufacturing

Advanced manufacturing industries are vital to the global competitiveness of the United States. As a result, community colleges must work collaboratively with industry partners to develop associate degrees and certifications that educate technicians to support these industries. To meet the needs of growing regional industries such as Forum Energy, Halliburton, Cleco, and Data Communications, this project is designed to provide industry-recognized credentials to students through the Certified Production Technicians curriculum and examinations. These credentials will be combined with the hands-on experiences needed to be successful in a competitive labor market. The project aims to prepare both faculty and students for these examinations and to produce graduates who are Certified Production Technicians. This certification has the potential to reduce initial training time and hiring cost for employers. Graduates with Certified Production Technician certification will have knowledge about the most recent safety issues and solutions, making them more competitive for available jobs. Rigorous evaluation methods, data, and feedback will inform continuous project improvements and program enhancements through the implementation period. Recruitment efforts will target students who are underrepresented in production technician careers. 

This project aims to prepare more students to complete Certified Production Technician certification, as well as to earn a Technical Diploma, Associate of Applied Science in Industrial Electronics Technology, or Associate of Science in Industrial Technology. During the project, the college will modify and offer revised manufacturing courses to include Certified Production Technician curriculum; provide professional development for faculty so that they can become Manufacturing Skill Standards Council-authorized trainers; and hold advisory committee meetings with industry partners to increase awareness of technician industry-based credentials and receive continuous feedback of the implementation results. Manufacturing Skill Standards Council-authorized faculty will prepare students for tests in four areas: 1) Safety; 2) Quality Practices & Measurement; 3) Manufacturing Processes & Production; and 4) Maintenance Awareness. The project will adapt the best practices of other community colleges that have implemented similar curriculum changes. In turn, the project will strive to serve as a model program for other community college manufacturing programs.