Minuteman Community Ed. To Offer Introduction to Manufacturing

By Judy Bass

Minuteman Community Education in Lexington is partnering with the MassHire Metro South/West (MSW) Workforce Board and Career Center - local workforce development agencies that connect people seeking jobs with employers - to offer a new program called Introduction to Manufacturing. Slated to begin on February 11, 2019, this opportunity is designed to help close the skills gap by intensively training adults for desirable, high-wage jobs in a dynamic 21st-century industry.

Minuteman Community Education is one component of Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District, which also includes Minuteman High School (grades 9-12) and Minuteman Technical Institute (chapter 74 post-secondary certificate programs). Minuteman RVSD is eight months away from moving into a new $145M facility that has been designed to support a robust college and career academy model. The new facility will accommodate project-based learning across disciplines, requiring students to learn on diverse teams, solve problems and think critically. These essential 21st-century skills will also be practiced in a variety of MTI and Community Education programs.

“I am extremely proud of this collaboration with the MassHire MSW Career Center,” said Allison Cammarata, Director of Minuteman Community Education, “because it demonstrates our joint commitment to work toward the Baker-Polito administration’s initiative to fill the skills gap in manufacturing.”

Natalia Salagornik, Career Navigator at the MassHire MSW Career Centers located in Norwood and Framingham, along with Sean Marshall, Lead Business Service Representative for the MassHire MSW Career Center, and Ms. Cammarata were the driving forces behind the creation of this new program.

“We're excited to be partnering,” said Mr. Marshall. “This program is a direct result of feedback provided from employers, community organizations, and educational providers associated with the Acton Area Manufacturing Collaborative.”

“The MassHire MSW Career Center works to create training pipelines and career pathways to address hiring needs” said Ms. Salagornik. “The goal is,” she added, “to provide critical, in-demand skills through intensive training and career support to facilitate immediate employment.”

The Introduction to Manufacturing certificate course is open to anyone interested in exploring a career in manufacturing. Students must be 18 years of age, and the program cost is $1,025. “The major benefit of the collaboration with the MassHire MSW Career Center,” explained Ms. Cammarata, “is that this synergy provides applicants ways to qualify for tuition assistance, alleviating financial barriers.”

This 7-week manufacturing course will meet Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings from 5:00 - 8:30 pm. The program will cover aspects of production, design, and processes planning. Students will become familiar with types of production material and will practice measuring techniques. Additionally, students will learn basic soldering and blueprint reading, and will be introduced to basic CAD. Two industry credentials are part of this program, the OSHA 30-hour Construction Industry credential, and the Hot Work Safety certification from the National Fire Protection Association.

Minuteman RTVSD offers a more robust manufacturing program through Minuteman Technical Institute. MTI’s Advanced Manufacturing post-secondary program runs for 10-months, and offers additional industry credentials. Minuteman Technical Institute currently offers six post-secondary programs. For more information about MTI’s program options please visit www.MinutemanTI.org.

To register for the Introduction to Manufacturing course please call Minuteman Community Education at 781-861-7150 or email communityed@minuteman.org. Students interested in seeking funding for the program should contact Natalia Salagornik at the MassHire MSW Career Center at 508-861-7993 x725 or email nsalagornik@MassHireMSW.com. Additionally, information can be found at www.MinutemanCE.org or on JobQuest http://jobquest.detma.org/JobQuest/TrainingDetails.aspx?ti=1118409.