Development of a multi-skilled craftsman program through collaboration between industry, technical community college, and four-year university

Abstract

Engineering Technology curriculum generally provides wide spread knowledge in problem solving, management of resources, and process planning. An Industry Advisory Council for a university in Louisiana expressed the need for multi-skilled craftsman trained graduates, and worked with Engineering Technology faculty to develop an associate of science degree program, in collaboration with a local technical community college, that is focused on advanced manufacturing. This paper discusses the development of an industry-driven program on advanced manufacturing. The program is implemented as a collaborative offering by a university in Louisiana and a neighboring technical community college. The developed program combines the strengths of complementary offerings to prepare multiskilled craftsmen. The program is implemented in a work-study format, where students go to classes two days per week, and work three days per week at a manufacturing facility. The paper starts by identifying the need for multiskilled craftsman training. After that it discusses the key components for multiskilled craftsman preparation: Safety, basic electrical and mechanical maintenance, welding, and automation. These components led to putting together an 80-hour 2-year curriculum that enables graduates to obtain an associate of science degree in engineering technology along with a certificate as maintenance technician. The paper concludes by providing directions for future development of the new program.