Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus has received a donation of $7,000 from the Grainger Foundation for support of scholarships and equipment. Grainger supplies more than 900,000 products, from adhesives to power tools to test instruments, to 1.8 million businesses and institutions in 153 countries. (more…)
Three different classes of advanced manufacturing training are offered free through the Workforce and Economic Development department of Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus. Fully funded by the Department of Labor, students pay nothing as long as they complete the class. Participants need previous manufacturing experience and some basic math skills. The registration deadline is Friday, September 18.
Classes include Precision Measurement Tools, in which the focus is on reading and interpreting machine shop symbols, welding blueprints, and working drawings; CNC Machine Operation – Mill & Lathe, in which the focus is on electrical laws and principles pertaining to DC and AC circuits, including current, voltage, resistance, and power; and Basic Computer Aided Design (CAD) Using Pro E Software, in which the focus is on the operation of a CAD system.
Information: 812-374-5237 or rfrische@ivytech.edu.
The Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Ivy Tech Community College made its public debut Friday morning.
Ivy Tech President Thomas Snyder told representatives of regional manufacturing companies who attended the Institute’s “unveiling” that the Advanced Manufacturing Institute is the foundation of what could become a network of facilities used across Indiana to improve the economic well-being of the state and to provide companies and individuals the training and certifications they need to succeed in the global economy.
“The Advanced Manufacturing Institute in Columbus offers the programs and equipment necessary to provide manufacturers in Indiana with a workforce that not only has technical aptitudes but also the interpersonal skills necessary to perform in the workplace,” Snyder said.
The Advanced Manufacturing Institute began offering classes last June and is the third of four Institutes created by Ivy Tech’s Columbus Region. The college established a Corporate Training Institute in 2005, a Management Supervisory Institute in 2006. This month, Ivy Tech launched its Six Sigma Institute, which is currently providing free training to City of Columbus employees in an effort to find efficiencies within governmental departments.
Ivy Tech – Columbus invested more than $1.5 million to improve the facility and increase its personnel to accommodate an inflow of degree-seeking students and corporate clients seeking workforce training for their employees. The state is realizing a return on that investment, according to Snyder, stating Ivy Tech’s Columbus Region is serving more than 300 students who are seeking degrees in manufacturing and more than 400 area residents who are seeking workforce training.
And despite the economic downturn, Ivy Tech officials are expecting increasing enrollments in the manufacturing field as they have grown consistently for the last few semesters.
Enrollment in the Manufacturing Technology and Industrial Technology programs at Ivy Tech – Columbus jumped from 89 students in 2005 to 281 in 2008 – a 316 percent increase.
“[Ivy Tech’s] Advanced Manufacturing Institute offers up-to-date training with state-of-the-art technology and a dedicated, professional faculty that provides and equips each student with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in today’s global marketplace,” said Steve Coffman, Training and Learning Specialist for Cummins Inc.
The Advanced Manufacturing Institute is in an 11,000 square-foot building along Middle Road in Columbus. The building houses a 6,600 square-foot manufacturing lab, where students are taught hydraulics, pneumatics, welding, and robotics. Two instructional classrooms and one teaching lab for Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and Programmable Logic Control (PLC) equipment are in the facility.
“Our corporate clients often ask what type of training we can offer them,” said Sue Smith, Ivy Tech’s Executive Director of Workforce and Economic Development. “The simple answer is we can deliver all types of training you may need to improve your workforce, be more productive, and increase your bottom line.”
