This past school year, 10 North Carolina Community Colleges, including FTCC, joined forces to form the North Carolina Advanced Manufacturing Alliance to educate and train unemployed and dislocated workers to enter the workforce with specific training and credentials needed by North Carolina employers. In addition to traditional certificates, diplomas and associate degrees, students will earn Career Readiness Certification as well as industry credentials valued by employers.

The alliance was successful in securing a federal grant through the U.S. Department of Labor and partnering with North Carolina’s leading employers to provide resources for changing the way workers are trained and students succeed. This change will offer a comprehensive skills assessment, provide a network of student support, implement state-of-the-art technology and match student internships with industry, creating a pipeline of students trained to meet the needs of employers and putting our friends and neighbors back to work in high-quality careers such as machining.

The FTCC Computer Integrated Machining Program prepares students for a career that moves a concept to reality through the design process to produce a final product. A wide variety of metalworking equipment from manual machinery to new computerized CNC (Computer Numeric Control) and EDM (Electrical Discharge Machine) machinery in the newly-equipped FTCC Machining Lab are provided for training. Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Machining (CAM) software are used in our new classroom computer lab to prepare students to meet employer standards.The Computer Integrated Machining Program provides:

• Flexible learning options

• Structured student support services

• Mobile learning programs promoting access to online courses and learning applications using iPads and a new Mac Lab.

• Curriculum enhanced by iTunes University, digital content and manufacturing career guidance

During the month of April, FTCC hosted a Manufacturing Awareness Week with activities centered on occupations related to manufacturing for middle school, high school and college students to become familiar with and aware of the opportunities that are available locally. Displays about FTCC programs were available, an open house with business and industry representatives was held, campus tours were conducted by local middle and high schools and Collier Cropp (Labor Relations Manager at Goodyear) met with our students at the first Lunchbox Speaker Series to discuss closing the skills gap in manufacturing, a presentation that was informative for our students and faculty.

FTCC is proud to be a part of the N.C. Advanced Manufacturing Alliance and work with our sister community colleges to educate and train a high performance workforce for careers in advanced manufacturing and meet the employment needs of business and industry.

For more information or to see how you can become a part of this exciting program, please contact Vanessa Cogdell, NCAMA program coordinator at cogdellv@faytechcc.edu or Gary Smith, Machining program coordinator at smithg@faytechcc.edu or 910-678-8427.

Photo: FTCC, along with other N.C. colleges joined forces to help train students and displaced workers to take on manufac-turing jobs.