“Better late than never” especially when
it comes to celebrations!
FLATE
would like to raise a toast to six Florida schools for their leadership in
promoting excellence in manufacturing education in Florida. Gulf Coast State
College, Polk State College, Pasco-Hernando State College and Broward College
were four of the six winners who competed in a statewide competition announced
by the Manufacturers Association of Florida’s (MAF) Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Excellence (CAME). Other two winners were Braden River High School and St.
Johns Technical High School.
Earlier
this year MAF invited schools throughout Florida to present their best
practices in manufacturing
education focusing on three key areas: Engaging
Faculty; Outreach and Recruitment of Manufacturers and Students; and
Manufacturing programs. “I was inspired to enter the competition because what
has been accomplished to build a bridge among our college’s faculty, adjunct
instructors and staff to develop a foundation for our Manufacturing program was
a good example for other colleges” said Naisy Dolar, GCSC Florida Trade Program
Coordinator. “Having a successful program that develops
strong partnerships with area manufacturers allows PHSC to have a better
understanding of manufacturers’ training needs and streamline programs for
gainful employment” said Margaret Burnham, project manager for the Florida
Trade Grant at PHSC.
Eighteen
high schools and colleges entered the competition. Of that, six were declared
semi-finalists and presented their best practices during the final segment of
the competition—The Showcase—We’ve Come a
Long Way—at the 2014 STEM Manufacturing Forum in conjunction with the
Florida Sterling Council Annual Conference in Orlando. “PHSC has experienced
great success in developing manufacturing partners and we were eager to share
our best practice and success” Burnham said.
PSC
highlighted the Polk Engineering Technologies Education Council (PETEC) which
brings
representatives from local manufacturing industry, several Polk County
high schools, career centers and agencies involved in economic and workforce
development and the college itself. “This model lets us look at the country as
a whole and ensure our programs are preparing students at all levels for
careers in engineering and manufacturing, and that we’re meeting industry
needs” said Eric Roe, director of applied technology at the College.
PHSC’s
presentation—the “Manufacturing Café”
centered on its outreach and recruitment of
manufacturers and students.
PHSC’s strategy focused on a “relaxed and information setting to learn and
share information about manufacturing.” GCSC’s presentation highlighted its partnership
with industry and educators that have promoted sustainability. “We started from
a fairly blank slate and together we have been putting pieces together, getting
the gears moving until finally we are producing” said Dolar.
Based
on the application and presentations outlined, below are the winners under the
three categories:
Category 1: Engaging Faculty
1st
Place, Braden River High School
2nd
Place, Gulf Coast State College
Category 2: Outreach and Recruitment of
Manufacturers and Students
1st
Place, Polk State College
2nd
Place, Pasco-Hernando State College
Category 3: Manufacturing Programs
1st
Place, St. Johns Technical High School
2nd
Place, Broward College
The
award is a huge testament to manufacturing education in Florida. “We are
putting Northwest Florida on the map as a region that is educating and training
students ready for jobs in Advanced Manufacturing” said Dolar. Looking ahead
PHSC seeks to continue offering manufacturing related programs, and according
to Burnham “is working on expanding STEM programs to include the associate in
science in engineering technology degree.”
First
place winners received $1,000 for a student to pursue manufacturing education.
Second place winners received $500 for a student manufacturing scholarship. Scholarships
were sponsored by Hoerbiger Corporation, Florida Power & Light, ConMed
Linvatec, PCS Phosphate and TelligentEMS. All best practices from the winning
teams/schools are posted at http://www.mafcenter.org/?page=A14.
For
information on Florida Sterling Council’s STEM Forum and the MAF Center for
Advanced Manufacturing Excellence visit http://www.floridasterling.com/STEM-Manufacturer-Education-Forum.php
and http://www.mafcenter.org . For more information
on FLATE’s statewide A.S. degree in engineering technology and related
certificate programs offered at PHSC, PSC, GCSC, BC and 14 other state and
community colleges across Florida contact Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive
director of FLATE at barger@fl-ate.org, or visit http://madeinflorida.org/engineering-technology-degree/e-t-overview.
No comments :
Post a Comment