(December 6, 2022) – The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) has awarded Alamance Community College’s Computer Integrated Machining (CIM) program a $398,000 ACE grant that covers three years of free training in precision machining for local students.
The grant makes ACC North Carolina’s first community college “America’s Cutting Edge (ACE)” approved facility.
The ACE program will introduce students to a potential career path in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining on state-of-the-art equipment.
The College’s CIM and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) departments will accept approximately 300 students over a three-year period to matriculate through “boot camp” training following successful completion of required online courses.
Working with education partner NC A&T State University as a hub, ACC has plans to make its new ACE program a model for the state.
“The ACE program asked us to be part of their extended team and we were the first community college in North Carolina to accept the invitation and be approved,” said James Adkins, Department Head of CIM, MET and Computer Integrated Drafting (CAD). “Plans are underway now for ACC to host a boot camp for these prospective students.”
Adkins said that his department will also host NC A&T’s first boot camp in the community college’s CIM lab.
The ACE national initiative is aimed at recruiting and training workers to fill voids as operators, designers, and engineers in the machining industry.
The program is comprised of a two-part series. Part One is an online requirement that covers an introduction to CNC and 3D modeling using Fusion 360 and virtual machining applications. Upon completion, students become eligible to advance into Part Two, a hands-on lab training “Boot Camp.” Boot camps provide opportunities for accepted students to learn in a high-intensity environment through hands-on, in-person training. Each boot camp will be limited to 16 students per session and likely offered on weekends, evenings, and even weeklong training sessions during the summer.
All training sessions will be coordinated with ACC’s Workforce Development division, which will provide a partial Continuing Education credit with some transfer credit into the ACC’s CIM program. Adkins said he plans to share the online training opportunity with all Alamance County high schools.
“Anyone interested in exploring a precision machining career option can do it at ACC,” said Adkins.
America’s capacity to design, make and use advanced machine tools has been in steady decline since the 1980s due to the migration of advanced machining and manufacturing overseas, according to Gardner Intelligence’s 2020 World Machine Tool Report.
America’s Cutting Edge (ACE) is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense. The collaboration is aimed at revitalizing U.S. manufacturing with a focus on the machine tool industry. According to an ACE press release, machine tools are “a foundational element of America’s advanced manufacturing capabilities, which are essential to the nation’s national security and continued economic vitality.”
To date, the ACE program has created and delivered free courses and boot camp-style training in the automated control of machine tools to more than 2,100 students from 49 states.
“Our Computer-Integrated Machining program at ACC is so much more than the name implies,” said Adkins. “It is a precision machining operation where students learn life skills that allow them to work anywhere in the world. This is especially true for female students who are in high demand in the industry.”
For more information contact James Adkins at 336-506-4233 or jradkins175@alamancecc.edu
Register at http://iacmi.org/ace and select Alamance Community College as the location.
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