Advanced Manufacturing Review – Recap

Click here for the PowerPoint: Advanced Manufacturing review March 2018

Thanks to all who attended the Advanced Manufacturing review on March 8, 2018 at Roanoke-Chowan Community College.  We appreciated Dr. Elliott welcoming us to campus and briefly sharing his vision for the future of R-CCC. https://www.roanokechowan.edu/

Several years ago while planning the pathways, it was decided to meet every 18 months to review each pathway and make any necessary changes. This allows us to stay updated on the industry itself and on what our partners are doing plus it keeps us from putting pathways work “on the shelf.”

We started off by highlighting a few findings from some very recently published research about advanced manufacturing (http://www.economicmodeling.com/manufacturing-is-not-dead/.)  These findings are in line with our expectations for this industry and help to affirm our commitment to this pathway.

NENC Pathway Updates

-The Advanced manufacturing yearly check in was submitted to the state on 2/1/18. Thanks to all who provided information and who helped review. They intend to pull information from these check-ins from all over the state to make one state-wide report. I’ll share that once it debuts.

– If you haven’t already, be sure to visit our website (www.nencpathways.org) for access to liaison information, toolkit download, updated metrics, partnership calendar and news and so much more. Also, follow us on social media (and tell your students, colleagues, and friends too!)  Please send any information you would like to share with the partnership to brandi.bragg@nccommerce.com.

– You may have noticed that we’re now using Constant Contact to schedule events and for sharing information. I’m still tweaking it, so if you receive emails that aren’t relevant to you or find out that others are receiving emails you want to receive, please let me know. Also, if you have an event or other information you want to share with the partnership by email, send it to me and I will be happy to pass it on.

– We have finally chosen a marketing agency, Deep Fried Creative out of Washington. Thanks to Jennie Bowen (Region Q), Dave Whitmer (Northeastern), Michael Williams (Turning Point) and Larry Donley (Regional Operations Director) for working with me through this process.  One of the first items we will work on is career ladder flyers and posters to share with you all. We also need input about potential success stories to video/photograph for campaigns. We are in need of members from the partnership to sit on a Marketing team, to make decisions about branding, brochures, social media marketing etc. Please contact Brandi if you are interested in being a part of this.

Our application for certification of the Business Support Services pathway is due on 3/22/18.  We are meeting in Williamston next week (3/15) to review the draft, and have a couple of spots available on the review team if anyone would like to join us.  Thanks to all who signed the signature sheets at the meeting, which are required to be turned in with the application.  We still need a few more signatures from employers, contact Brandi if you can help with this.

– Congratulations to all who have received local implementation certification so far.  We have 4 areas working on theirs now, so glad to see the momentum building.  If you have questions about how to get started in this process or need assistance, please contact Brandi.  Thank you to those who have already been through the process and who offer assistance to other partners. You guys are what partnership is all about!!  Upcoming presentation: PCC area will receive their health care local implementation certificates later this month at their Board of Trustees meeting.

– Metrics for 2016-2017 are posted on the website. I am meeting with a grad student at ECU on Monday to see if she can help us streamline the process, and make sure that we are capturing the information we need as efficiently as possible.  Also, with several years’ worth of data now, we can look at trends. The next few slides show trends in advanced manufacturing.

R-CCC Mechatronics

Mr. Horne was sick and unable to attend, but we were thankful to have Dee Dee Dickinson, Dean of Student Affairs, step in for him. They’ve been working on this program for a while now and are excited to have a sneak peek of classes during the summer session, with the full program moving forward in the fall. They have great industry involvement and are looking forward to providing the skills students will need to succeed in this field.

Industry Speaker Paul McClellan, Eddie Kane Steel (Ahoskie, NC)

Paul was raised on a dairy farm in Vermont and inspired by his depression-era grandfather who owned and worked multiple businesses. Paul has decades of experience in various areas of manufacturing, finally getting into steel with Eddie Kane about 3 years ago. Paul reminded us that manufacturing is a culture and that the erosion of manufacturing has led to the erosion of the middle class. He also noted that tariffs won’t help, but will instead hurt our economy. Paul said that the challenge is to be ahead of the curve and reminded us that 75% of innovation happens right here in the US.

The plant in Ahoskie is one of 5 Eddie Kane Steel plants in the US. 72% of the steel for the company comes through the Ahoskie plant. In February, the Ahoskie plant received 10 million pounds of steel from Nucor, while they only took in 22 million pounds in all of 2017. They have made parts for projects all over the world, notably for projects on the USS John McCain. This plant has not had any customer returns in 2 ½ years and boasts 52% gross profit, with only 18 employees.  Only two of the current employees were there when Paul took over. He works closely with Bertie Staffing to vet employees on skills before they are invited to the plant for a four-hour walk through interview. Paul noted that it generally takes about 20 interviews to find one employee, but that his employees are well-paid and many have received 3 raises over the past two years.

Paul discussed the importance of soft skills (working together, problem solving, etc) throughout his speech. He noted that working with millennials is different from past generations, as millenials tend to be more interested in the feeling that they did something well and are not as likely to just chase dollars. Paul works closely with Keith Horne, Industrial Tech Faculty at R-CCC on building the Mechatronics program and providing opportunities for students through apprenticeships and exposure to his employees. He noted that this partnership, working with the community, is what it’s all about. Paul plans to give back to the community by teaching at community college in the future.

In closing, Paul shared a great story with the group about an employee.  This employee had not completed high school and worked shoveling manure at a pig farm, but scored 100 on the math test for the position. Paul brought him in and spent months training him to run the plasma cutter. On the day that this employee was finally trained and on his own for running the machine, he spent hours reviewing diagnostics, checking and double-checking, but couldn’t bring himself to press the button needed to start the job.  Paul went to the production floor and asked what the problem was, and found out that the employee was afraid to make a costly mistake. Paul confirmed that the employee had completed all the necessary diagnostics and encouraged him to press the button within 5 minutes or return to shoveling manure.  The employee finally pressed the button, produced the work (which was perfect) and thanked Paul for the push.  Sometimes we just need someone to encourage us to press the button.

Paul is happy to talk with any of our partners who would like to connect with him. Please feel free to email him at paul@eddiekanesteel.com.

Spotlight on Research: Reverse Engineering with Dr. Akbar Eslami (ECSU)

Dr. Eslami did a wonderful job of explaining his recently published research, where he and his team used reverse engineering to produce a part for a Coast Guard plane.  This part had been manufactured before CAD was in use, so Dr. Eslami’s team had to go through many processes to create a new replacement part. His slides are included in the powerpoint for your review. Please contact Dr. Eslami to learn more about this project and the potential implications for use within the classroom and industry. aeslami@ecsu.edu

Sharing from Partners

Dare County Schools: HS student taking welding courses at COA (stackable credentials)

Bertie Early College HS: NCSU recently produced this video showing students at their Biotechnology Boot Camp. https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/biotechnology-boot-camp-offers-experience-of-a-lifetime/ Bruce Boller also said they are working to schedule a symposium for the spring. I will send out that info once I receive it.

Pitt CC: Pictures from the first Advanced Manufacturing Day at PCC. Working with Pitt County Schools, they brought in employers from the area to show students different fields. Read more about it here http://www.pittcc.edu/news/news-articles/2017-news-archive/171127-stem-awareness-event.htm

ECPPS: Photo from the CTE/Workforce conference. Students at this event told attendees (employers and workforce professionals) about what they are learning through CTE courses. Read more about it here: http://www.dailyadvance.com/News/2018/03/04/Donor-s-50K-gift-funds-robotics-lab-at-NHS.html

Martin CC: Brian Deans, a Bertie County Schools student, used his welding skills and ingenuity to create this fabulous bench out of old tailgates! Read more about it here: https://martincc.edu/sites/default/files/MartinMessenger-December2017.compressed.pdf

College of the Albemarle: This submission actually came from Rob Boyce, former Career Pathways facilitator, who is still keeping an eye out for pathways news. Thanks Rob! Here’s a link to the article http://www.dailyadvance.com/News/2018/02/26/Students-pledge-intent-for-technical-education.html

Nash CC: Photo of Ralph Emerson, Cummins Engine Plant Rocky Mount, talking to a room of adult learners about the importance of learning soft skills through programs like Working Smart. Here’s a link with more information about the Working Smart program at NCC https://www.nashcc.edu/courses-programs/continuing-education-courses/human-resources-development/P25

Perquimans County Schools: Jill Cohen, CTE director for PQ schools will present a poster at a conference in Baltimore showcasing the work she and partners did to achieve local implementation certification for advanced manufacturing. Hope to hear more about this at a future pathways meeting! @PQschoolsCTE is her Twitter handle, if you want to keep up with her.

Local Implementation:  We recently presented certificates to the COA area partners for Advanced Manufacturing. Congratulations to all!

Shared by partners during the meeting:

Beaufort CC: BCCC and partners have a new video showcasing advanced manufacturing. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3YC00IuQKQ

STEP: A Nash/Edgecombe county partnership, STEP recently hosted lunch with an engineer for high school students, to provide opportunities for them to learn more about the field and make contact with people in those careers. To learn more about STEP, visit their website http://step-partnership.org/

Working Smart

Jerry Jones with Pitt Community College provided an overview of the Working Smart program. Working smart is a soft-skills curriculum for students and adults and can help them be more prepared for the workforce. Participants who complete the entire program receive a certificate. To learn more about the Working smart program at PCC, contact Jerry Jones jerjones@email.pittcc.edu

 

Instructor Chauncey Whitfield got the audience involved with a great group activity and had us complete a portion of one of the working smart lessons.  This insight helped us to better understand this program and increased interest from many of our partners.  I am working to put together a list of partners who are certified to teach Working Smart. Please email me names of anyone in your organization who is trained in this curriculum.

Breakout Sessions

Breakout sessions were divided by workforce development board and focused on building a local partnership to provide collaborative opportunities for work-based learning and career awareness. These groups will continue to work together through email and/or face-to-face meetings to build truly collaborative programs with a focus on their local areas.  Thanks to representatives from each WDB who lead the sessions: Michael Williams of Turning Point (mwilliams@turningpointwdb.org), Emily Nicholson of Northeastern (enicholson@accog.org) and Lou Stout of Region Q (lstout@mideastcom.org).  If you were unable to attend the session but are interested in joining these locally focused groups, please contact the group leader for your area.

Thanks to everyone who helped in planning and executing this event and to R-CCC for hosting!