A New Take On Manufacturing Education

Extensive competency certifications, integrated knowledge of key core manufacturing processes, and 5-axis literacy are cornerstones of an aggressive new Associate’s degree program at Gateway Community College in Phoenix, Arizona.

When he worked in the tool & die industry, it took Dave Zamora 25 years to become proficient in manual machine operation, CNC machine operation, part design, and CAM (Computer Automated Manufacturing) programming. Now, as the principal instructor in the Industrial Design Technology AAS degree program at Gateway Community College (Phoenix, AZ) he expects his students to obtain certified proficiencies in each of these disciplines long before they graduate.

This new integrated approach, which emphasizes multiaxis CNC manufacturing in combination with 3-dimensional design technology, was developed out of the school’s continuing effort to meet the skill requirements of more than 100 nearby manufacturers. About 90% of the students enrolled in the program are also working full-time for these same companies. The average age of students in the program is 35.

In 2006, the college began offering a series of intensive certification training programs in response to numerous requests from local manufacturers. These trainings have now become the core of an integrated Associate’s degree program that covers all of the important manufacturing disciplines from design to final part inspection. As of this fall, 3O students have passed all of the certifications offered by Gateway and half are planning to continue on to obtain their AAS degrees.

In this program, students quickly leave the world of conventional 2D machining to become immersed in multiaxis processes working on five CNC mills and three CNC lathes along with advanced CAD/CAM (Computer Automated Design/Computer Automated Manufacturing) software. “We have pretty much upped the ante so that 2-axis machining is a basic introductory course and everything from then on is multiaxis machines. They leave the program 5-axis literate.”

For the most part, employers foot the bill for their employees’ education. However, some students opt to pay themselves because they intend to bring their improved skill set where they can get even higher paying jobs, and those jobs are out there. “Manufacturing profits are up even though manufacturing employment is down. We are doing more with less. It’s all about technology. So there is a high demand for people with the right skill sets,” Zamora said.

Certification Boot Camp

Students spend five hours in class, two nights a week, for about 18 straight months to pick up the critical certification requirements. He said, “I drill these guys, two nights a week for five hours a night, consistently giving them harder programs so they are living it. There is no slack time; it’s like a boot camp.”

Just like the industries it serves, the program does not shut down for the summer. Zamora calls this philosophy “Education On Demand.” He said, “We have to be flexible, available, current, and relevant. So we have thrown the traditional model out the window.”

Zamora knows that the crammed schedule can be a real sacrifice, particularly for students who are married and have family responsibilities. On the other hand, employers frequently reward these students with promotions and substantial pay increases.

Eric Goss, a young man with some experience operating machines, but no programming experience, is a case in point. A self-avowed hands-on guy in his late 20s, he resisted the idea of going to college but finally acceded after some gentle prodding from his boss. “He took to it like a duck to water,” said Zamora, “working relentlessly to complete his certification track in 18 months. The employer, recognizing the value of his new skill set, put him in a lead position and doubled his salary to $32 an hour.” This individual’s story is not unusual; there are many others in similar situations.

Learning Cohorts

“Another interesting thing that has evolved in this program,” Zamora said, “is that these folks start as a group and they become cohorts. They start and complete with each other. A lot of the guys are seasoned professionals and we’ll have some entry level guys with minimal experience mixed in. The older guys pitch in to help bring the newcomers up to a higher level. Some older members of the group are also keeping an eye out for talent, people who they wouldn’t mind working with at their own companies.”

In July 2008, a 20-student cohort from the program set sort of a record by taking and passing the Mastercam Certification Test. This comprehensive exam covered everything the students learned in 24 weeks of double-session classes. “For these certifications,” Zamora said, “there is no such thing as teaching to the test. The only way a student can pass is by knowing exactly what he is doing.”

The students had already passed their NIMS certification in manual machining, the Haas Certification in CNC Machining, and will also become certified in SolidWorks. (In the future, the program will be adding a 5th, ASQ certification in CMM Programming and SPC Statistical Process Control.)

The certification course track delivers to local manufacturers individuals who are well grounded in all of the disciplines that comprise a modern manufacturing enterprise. With these core certifications behind them, most of the students will now ease up and complete the remaining 20 hours of course requirements for their Associate’s degrees over the next 24 months.

Back At Work

Relaxing the pace of education at this point is a good thing, because many of the students will be adjusting to the pressures of increased responsibility at their jobs. For example, Eric Goss, the young man mentioned earlier, has been promoted to Product Specialist. He is no longer responsible for simply operating a machine. Instead, he has total product responsibility from transforming a drawing into a CAD Model to CNC machine programming, to part manufacturing, through to final inspection.

Interestingly enough, these responsibilities exactly mirror the final exam Zamora’s students will take to pass the Industrial Design Technology AAS Degree program. Each student will be handed a drawing and they will be required to make a CAD model, export it to Mastercam, create viable toolpaths and manufacturer the part on CNC manufacturing equipment in the school’s laboratory. They will have just three hours to do the complete job. That should be no problem for most of Zamora’s students because they are already using these skills at their jobs.

Gateway Community College is one of ten nationally accredited Maricopa County Community Colleges, the country’s largest network of community colleges, serving more than 350,000 students.