Middlesex Community College is one of the 12 community colleges in Connecticut and Charter Oak State College to be awarded part of a $15 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Labor as part of the Connecticut Advanced Manufacturing Initiative (CAMI).
“Time and again, I hear from manufacturers about their need for workers equipped with the tools necessary to fill some of these in-demand, modern technology manufacturing positions,” said Governor Dannel Malloy, when he announced the grant funding in late September.
Connecticut’s four Advanced Manufacturing Centers have become nationally recognized in the field, and CAMI builds upon this success by expanding manufacturing education to every community college in the state including MxCC.
Currently MxCC offers students opportunities in Engineering Science and Technology Studies including Computer Engineering Technology and Manufacturing Machine Technology. This grant will allow MxCC the opportunity to upgrade curriculum, equipment, tooling, supplies and advertising resources to become a National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) accredited program, said Professor Hubert Godin, Coordinator of the Technology Studies and Engineering Sciences Course.
The grant funding will provide more human resources to hire an Internship and Employment Coordinator as well as an additional full-time instructor and lab assistants. With the additional ability to network with area high schools, Godin predicts an increase in enrollment by the end of the 3 year grant as well as a successful placement rate for graduates.
“In addition to our Manufacturing Machine Technology Program, we plan to introduce a Manufacturing Engineering Technology Pathway,” explained Godin. The pathway would allow transfer from MxCC’s Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program to Central Connecticut State University, furthering the skills and confidence of students entering the workforce.
“A highly-educated and skilled workforce will provide leading manufacturers with the means they need to expand, increase production, and create good-paying jobs with good benefits right here in Connecticut,” said Malloy.
To learn more about MxCC Technology Studies visit http://mxcc.edu/divisions/science/
Founded in 1966, Middlesex Community College (mxcc.edu) is part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities System. In all it does, Middlesex Community College strives to be the college of its community. By providing high quality, affordable, and accessible education to a diverse population, the college enhances the strengths of individuals through degree, certificate, and lifelong learning programs that lead to university transfer, employment, and an enriched awareness of our shared responsibilities as global citizens. MxCC, recently named a "Great College to Work For" by “The Chronicle of Higher Education,” offers more than 50 degree or certificate programs at the main 38-acre campus in Middletown, the downtown Meriden Center, the shoreline, and online.
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