BRIDGEPORT‑ Housatonic Community College has received the Bridgeport Regional Business Council’s Regional Impact Award in Education for creating the new Advanced Manufacturing Program.
The year-long program, which requires a 35-hour-per-week commitment from students, will lead to two certificates, a basic manufacturing certificate and an advanced manufacturing certificate. The program will prepare students for manufacturing positions that include machine operator, CNC (Computer Numeric Control) operator, CNC programmer, assembler, and Quality Control inspector that can pay in the $15-$20 per-hour range. Jobs will be awaiting the students when they graduate.
BRBC Chairmen Michael Niedermeier, partner with BlumShapiro, presented the award to HCC President Anita T. Gliniecki at a ceremony earlier this month.
The program is the first to be offered through HCC's new Regional Advanced Manufacturing Center, which was established at the college earlier this year thanks to a $17.8 million grant by the state legislature. The Center will feature an advanced manufacturing laboratory and engineering design studio to support the college’s credit and non-credit manufacturing courses.
The Center will serve students in a 43-town area that extends from the New York State line to the Connecticut River and north to the Middletown, Meriden, Waterbury and Danbury areas.
The Center came online just as manufacturing activity in the region began picking up. The center will prepare students for well-paying jobs in a growing field while providing area manufacturers with the skilled workers they need to sustain their growth.
“Manufacturing in the area and the nation is leading economic growth,” explained Bill Griffin, HCC’s academic coordinator, who spearheaded the drive for the center and the program. “Through the application of state-of-the-art technology, manufacturers are more competitive, but they need to hire more workers with advanced manufacturing skills. HCC’s new manufacturing program is designed to meet this industry need.”
