As the demand rises for skilled manufacturers in Connecticut, so does the initiative of Quinebaug Valley Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center. As a result of the Windham High School Early College Opportunity (ECO) Program, the QVCC Manufacturing program is providing local high school students with the academic foundation and applied experience to have successful manufacturing careers.
Students at Windham High School (WHS) have the opportunity to gain manufacturing skills through related courses offered by the high school, such as MFG 124 Blueprint Reading I, MFG 105 Manufacturing Math II, and MFG 153 Benchwork. This summer, incoming seniors at WHS continued their coursework at QVCC by taking two more manufacturing classes, MFG 154 Lathe I and MFG 155 Milling I, leaving only two classes left for students to complete the Basic Manufacturing Machine Technology Level I Certificate. At the end of the four-week period, 18 students completed the Lathe I course and 12 students completed the Milling I course. Five of the students from Lathe I did not take Milling I due to opportunities to participate in paid internships at Electric Boat and other companies. Funding for the Windham High School ECO Program is provided through College Career Pathways (CCP).
QVCC also runs the Intro to Manufacturing Pipeline, a 7-week, 210-hour program with five programs scheduled to run from September 2019 – June 2020. Working with the Eastern Workforce Investment Board, students are recruited and placed in manufacturing jobs at Electric Boat and other Eastern CT businesses.
For more information about QVCC’S Advanced Manufacturing Program, visit us at the Advanced Manufacturing Information Session and Registration Day on Saturday, August 10 from 9-10am.