ON THE ROAD
This month FLATE had the opportunity to visit two two-year
advanced manufacturing and mechatronics programs in Virginia: Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) in
Charlottesville and Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke (VWCC). PVCC was hosting an outreach event for high
school programs to introduce the students to their new program launched this
academic year. Over one hundred twenty juniors and seniors from 4 regional high
schools arrived at the college for a 10 am program start. After welcome from
the program director and dean, a lively panel of local manufacturing and
production employers talked to the young people about their companies and what
they make. They went on to talk about
the kinds of skills new employees need to have to be hire and successful in
their companies. The business sectors
represented all voiced the need for some common fundamental technical skills
like measurements, electronics and quality. They also strongly endorsed the
need for personal success skills (employability skills, soft skills, personal
skills, etc). After the lively discussions and questions from the audience, the
students cycled through four stops: manufacturing lab tour and program
information; company displays where they showcased their products and
individually talked about their technician workforce needs. Several high school
and college engineering student projects were also on display. The last two stops were hands on activities
building a small ball bearing system and wiring a LED light circuit. It was a
great opportunity to get ideas for effective outreach and benchmark the labs of
our Florida Engineering Technology programs, and hear about the workforce needs
of manufacturing companies in other states and regions. 
My second visit was to Virginia Western Community College (VWCC)
located in Roanoke, VA. The mechatronics
degree at VWCC was started by and still let by program manager Dan Horine about
ten years ago. The program has grown to
well over 100 students and has attracted a number of manufacturers to the
region. After visiting the mechatronics, computer aided drafting and “Fab” lab,
I was lucky to observe the following required mechatronics systems course: ENG
105 – Problem Solving in Engineering Technology:
“Teaches engineering problem solving, using hand held
calculator. Applies computers to solving problems. Laboratory 3 hours per week”
This innovative strategy is helping to secure specific math
skills needed by mechatronics technicians by providing relevant context to the
math skills being taught. The course basically provides a faculty “tutor” for
students currently taking math, engineering and mechatronics courses. Personally, I was struck by the
non-threatening and team environment and overall “helping” atmosphere. The
required course has only been offered a couple of years so its impact on
mechatronic student success has yet to be determine.
You can find out more by visiting the colleges’ websites: www.virginiawestern.edu and www.pvcc.edu.
Additional questions about mechatronics programs in the US or the
Engineering Technology A.S. degree in Florida, visit the Mechatronics Community Exchange site or
contact Dr. Barger at barger@fl-ate.org.
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