Identifying the need to meet employment and skills requirements in the ever-growing manufacturing sector, A-B Tech developed an Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) in 2014, and $1.3 million was appropriated from the Connect NC Bond to fund renovations to A-B Tech’s Maple Building. Over the past five years, North Carolina Community College System equipment allocations and grants from Duke Energy and Golden LEAF have helped A-B Tech acquire over $3 million in state-of-the-art training equipment.
The final phase, renovating the lower level of the building into a new machine shop and industrial maintenance training lab space was completed in April 2020. AMC is a now a new, complete teaching and training facility, that houses the college’s Customized Training Program for business and industry training, the Composites Training Center of Excellence, the Industrial Maintenance & Automation Academy, and the Machining Training Center.
High-tech training equipment includes industrial controls trainers, PLC trainers, robotic trainers, manufacturing production simulators, industrial sewing machines, soldering, and electro-mechanical assembly equipment, and all-new machine shop equipment, CNC mills, and lathes, AMC is comprised of over 30,000 square feet of instructional labs, shop spaces, classrooms, advanced manufacturing career coaching lab, forklift operator training space, conference and student collaborative areas, staff offices, and areas for training the employees of local manufacturing companies.
Training in the center is accomplished in several ways. Training for employees of local manufacturers is accomplished through North Carolina’s Customized Training Program. Short-term training that is open to the public and prepares people for jobs in advanced manufacturing is also housed at AMC.
Programs such as Fundamentals of Machining (15 weeks to completion), CNC Machining 101 (5 weeks to completion), Certified Production Technician (6 weeks to completion), Industrial Maintenance Academy (Electrical, Automation/Controls, Mechanical – 15 weeks to completion), Industrial Sewing (6 weeks to completion), and Composites Technology (6 weeks to completion), lead directly to good-paying full-time jobs with benefits, and A-B Tech connects students to these jobs. Other training related to advanced manufacturing includes Lean Six Sigma Yellow, Green, and Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma Value Stream Mapping, OSHA 10 for General Industry, Forklift Operator, and top-quality leadership workshops such as Situational Leadership, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Communicating for Leadership Success, Coaching for Peak Performance. More information can be obtained on A-B Tech’s website, in the Fall 2020 Continuing Education Catalog, by calling (828) 398-7295, or by emailing elizabethjcarr@abtech.edu.
Upcoming Classes
Certified Production Technician
Certified Production Technician is a 6-week, 120-hour course that combines independent online work with flexible face-to-face instruction and leads to the national industry-recognized core skill certification, Certified Production Technician (CPT) from the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council Program completers are guaranteed direct connections to local manufacturers that are hiring full-time jobs with benefits. The CPT curriculum covers safety, quality practices and measurement, manufacturing processes, production awareness, and maintenance awareness. In essence, it prepares people to successfully work on any manufacturing floor! The structure of the class allows flexibility so current employment, travel, childcare, and many of life’s hurdles can be set aside. The number to call for more info is (828) 398-7295.
- Introduction to Composites
- Composite Technology Level 1
- Machining Fundamentals
- CNC Machining 101
- Industrial Safety: Bloodborne Pathogens
- Industrial Safety: First Aid/CPR/AED
- Forklift Safety and Operation
- LEAN Six Sigma Yellow Belt
- Value Stream Mapping