Huntington Herald

Housatonic creating regional Advanced Manufacturing Center

Written by The Huntington Herald
Monday, 13 February 2012 01:00

Housatonic Community College has been awarded a share of a $17.8 million grant, which it will use to create the HCC Regional Advanced Manufacturing Center for southwestern Connecticut at the college.

The center will expand the college's manufacturing education capability to give students the 21st century knowledge and skills needed by today's manufacturers. It will feature a manufacturing lab, an engineering/design studio and a welding lab to be used to support the college's credit and non-credit manufacturing courses.

"I am most pleased that Housatonic's manufacturing program has been selected for this grant," Housatonic President Anita T. Gliniecki said. "With this funding, the college can complete the expansion of a regional advanced manufacturing center. We see manufacturing as one of the growth areas in Connecticut. The college has conducted intensive discussion and research with local manufacturers and vocational technical school partners to bring this manufacturing center to fruition and increase the training and education opportunities for the residents of southwestern Connecticut."

Among the features of the manufacturing lab will be an inspection/metrology center with precision measuring tools, a 20-station computer lab, computer numeric control (CNC) machines and rapid prototypers.

"The center was created not only with current HCC students in mind, but with high school students, current workers and career changers as well," Academic Dean Elizabeth Roop said. "It will provide people with the skills they need for employment and careers in today's expanding manufacturing environment. Our goal has been to develop a state-of-the-art manufacturing training and educational facility that will serve as a base from which to train talented workers to meet manufacturers' needs now, and in the future, a truly regional resource for manufacturers."

The center was designed and built with input from the region's manufacturing community, Academic Coordinator Bill Griffin said.

"Our vision was to create a manufacturing center for this part of the state that would provide students with the education and training they need for manufacturing careers right here in Connecticut," he said. "Toward this end, we contacted more than 400 of the region's manufacturers — twice — to identify the education and training needs of the manufacturing community and develop ways to meet them."

State Rep. Tony Hwang rallied 18 senators and representatives in support of Housatonic's selection as an advanced manufacturing center.

"It will help Housatonic Community College establish a manufacturing educational center that will benefit our local businesses through a skilled workforce that can compete in a highly competitive global marketplace," he said. "It reflects the collective efforts of local state legislators acting as a cohesive bipartisan team in helping our community by helping to create an environment that will spur job growth that the state so desperately needs. "

State Sen. Ed Gomes was among the legislators who participated in a press conference at Housatonic to announce the creation of the Advanced Manufacturing Center at the college.

"Manufacturing always has been, and always will be, a key part of Connecticut's economy," Gomes said. "Our precision manufacturers are some of the most advanced in the world, and working at one requires specialized training. Many manufacturers have told us that, even in this recession, they can't find the skilled workers that they need. Over the years, this new Advanced Manufacturing Center at Housatonic Community College will open doors for thousands of people in Bridgeport and the area."

Mayor Bill Finch recently attended a Mayor's Conference at the White House with Shelton Mayor Marc Lauretti, who also attended the press conference. The Advanced Manufacturing Center will train skilled workers to fill jobs throughout the region, including the Valley.

"This is great for Bridgeport," Finch said. "President Obama said at the conference that jobs are moving back from overseas. Workers will have to learn to do more with less, and the number of jobs might not be as robust as during more labor-intensive times, but Bridgeport will be better off for it."

Finch said that clean-up of contaminated industrial sites along with a cadre of skilled workers will help attract businesses to Bridgeport.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal attended the event and said the new center would provide a boost for manufacturers and job seekers in Bridgeport and the region.

"It is an information age. and that is where this community college is going, along with Platt and Emmett Obrien technical schools because it is a continuum," Blumenthal said.

Kris Lorch, president of the Bridgeport-based Alloy Engineering, personally pressed for the center's creation with the Board of Regents.

"This was the result of years of effort on everyone's part," Lorch said "This will ensure that I have a steady flow of qualified candidates for jobs with my company, while providing my employees with a place to go for hands-on training."

In addition to creating the manufacturing center at the college, the grant will contribute to the manufacturing laboratories at Housatonic's partner vocational-technical schools, which include Platt Technical High School in Milford and Emmett O'Brien Technical High School in Ansonia.

"Strong partners mean strong programs that will meet the needs of Southwestern Connecticut," Gliniecki said.

The grant funding comes from House Bill 6801, An Act Promoting Economic Growth and Job Creation, Section 32. Housatonic is one of three community colleges that will share the grant.

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