Greetings Ambassadors.
I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I applied to be an ambassador because I am convinced that there is great opportunity for growth of manufacturing in CT and I believe that our programs will play a vital role.
I’m an instructor in Asnuntuck’s Robotics & Mechatronics program. The program is one of three departments of Asnuntuck’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center. The other two included Machine Technology & the state’s first AWS accredited welding program. There are multiple pathways for the public to access these programs. There is a highschool pathways program for juniors and seniors in local high schools to attend credited courses. These courses apply to manufacturing certifications & lead to assisted job placement. We have summer programs to introduce middle school & high school students to manufacturing technologies. We have workforce development programs to uptrain & retrain current & transitioning employees. We have 2 semester certificate programs in all three departments that provide the core credits necessary for an associates degree. In all we have more than 30k sqft of manufacturing educational technology for hands on experience with the tools of automation and advanced manufacturing.
In polling my students I found that many of them were guided to my program through high school robotics clubs. Some were told about the program by a career guidance professional (high school & secondary school guidance). One found the program through a highway billboard. Others through family members or former alumni. A common issue mentioned was locating information about available programs. I’ve had plenty of conversations around the state and even here in Enfield that made it clear the public doesn’t know that we’re here, let alone know about the opportunities that we provide.
In the webinar with Ari Santiago the discussion turned to the topic of the perception of trade vs traditional education pathways and I can’t agree more with the conclusion. There’s a great deal of value in the skills produced by trade programs and promoting the recognition of that value is key to changing that current perception.
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