Once upon a time in America a young man could earn a high school diploma, get a good job in manufacturing, and raise a family. The conventional wisdom is that those days are over. There is a funny thing about conventional wisdom—it is often wrong. Manufacturing is back. As Margaret Thomson, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Gateway Community and Technical College says, “Manufacturing is not dead. It is not dead end. It is not dirty, and it is not dangerous.”

Located in the Greater Cincinnati, Ohio area the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Gateway Community and Technical College offers post-secondary educational opportunities for qualified high school students beginning at age sixteen that can lead to breadwinner jobs. (The opportunities are not just for the guys—the ladies are welcome. There is a “Raise the Floor” initiative specifically for training women for manufacturing careers.)

The Boone County, Kentucky campus hosts seven manufacturing-related disciplines:

Computer-Assisted Drafting and Design

Computer-assisted drafters and designers use computer technology to translate ideas and specifications into complete and precise working plans that can be used to manufacture products or create structures.

Electrical Technology

Students are trained for various entry-level electrical positions in industry and the building trades.

Industrial Maintenance Technology

In preparation for a job as a maintenance mechanic or a technician/specialist in manufacturing the student learns how to repair and maintain pumps, motors, engines, conveyor belts as well as other complex machines.

 

Computerized Manufacturing & Machining

Machining is the most important of the manufacturing processes. The machinist uses machine tools to make or modify parts made primarily of metal. The student will learn the skills and techniques necessary to excel in this field.

Manufacturing Engineering Technology

The student is prepared to be an engineering technician or a first-line supervisor in almost any manufacturing setting from discrete manufacturing such as machine, injection molding and sheet metal shops to continuous flow and assembly line operations such as in the food processing and automotive industries. Additionally future technicians can learn to plan, design, maintain, and assemble mechatronic systems. Mechatronics is an exciting interdisciplinary field that makes possible the generation of simpler, more economical, reliable and versatile commercial and industrial products and equipment.

Welding Technology

Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. Skilled workers are needed in auto manufacturing and repair, bridge building, pipeline, power plant and refinery construction; and many other manufacturing applications.

Energy Technology

The degree, certificate options, and preparation for industry certifications give the student a strong foundation to build a long term future in the energy industry as transformer/relay technician, utility line technician, outside plant technician, smart grid technician, assistant controls system technician, fiber optic technician, network communications technician, voice and data wiring installer technician, and residential energy auditor, among other options.

Some certifications can be earned in one semester. The certifications are “stackable,” building on one another and documenting attained skills that can mean increasingly better pay. Many programs lead to an associate degree in two years for fulltime students. Transferring after two years to a traditional four-year school is an additional option.

The training is not just for high school students. Gateway’s Workforce Solutions Division provides opportunities for current workers to better their skills too.

Only one in four enrollees in a traditional four-year college is going to graduate and get a good job in this economy. Taking advantage of opportunities like the Center for Advanced Manufacturing means you are going to miss out on those fun filled Saturday afternoons cheering on your school’s football team in the fall, but you are going to be on the inside track for a breadwinner job at a fraction of the cost in time and money.

You can tour the Center for Advanced Manufacturing with your parents on STEM Parents Night currently scheduled from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on November 19, December 3, March 11, and March 25, 2014.

(See www.salary.com and www.gateway.kctcs.edu/About_Us/Our_Campuses/Boone_Campus.aspx.)