Approximately 160 students from area high schools, including a group from Chelsea, visited Washtenaw Community College (WCC) on Oct. 4 to learn about high-demand careers in advanced manufacturing.
Manufacturing Day 2024 highlighted educational pathways and career possibilities in the high-wage, high-demand job sector.
The U.S. will need nearly 4 million manufacturing jobs over the next decade, and half of those could be unfilled by 2030, according to workforce projections.
Students toured WCC’s Welding, Automation and Robotics, and CNC Machining labs. The mechatronics field includes automation, robotics, industrial electronics, and fluid power skills.
The college has joined hands with industry partners on apprenticeship programs that allow students to simultaneously work and attend school.
Among apprenticeship opportunities is the 18-month Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) program. The second FAME cohort enrolled this fall.
FAME is anchored by Toyota North America, with other employers C&B Machinery, Flexible Metals, Sensitile, Technique Inc., Orbitform, Caster Concepts, Lomar Machine & Tool Company and Novi Precision.
WCC is the only Michigan college in the national FAME work-and-learn program, which equips students with skills required for the rapidly evolving manufacturing industry.
Participants in the FAME program can be recent high school graduates, military members transitioning to the workforce, or individuals looking to move into a new career path. Applications for next year’s FAME cohort are being accepted now.
WCC also partners with ZOLLER Inc. and other companies and is an intermediary with the U.S. Department of Labor, working with local industry partners to develop new USDOL registered apprenticeship opportunities.
For Manufacturing Day, WCC coordinated with the Washtenaw Intermediate School District to bring students from the South & West Washtenaw Consortium Computer Integrated Manufacturing, South & West Washtenaw Consortium Welding, Chelsea Engineering/Robotics, Manchester Engineering Technology, Ann Arbor Engineering, Lincoln Engineering Technology and Ypsilanti Machining programs.
