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.”