ANN ARBOR – Washtenaw Community College will highlight its new Michigan Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) work and learn program today as it hosts students from SME PRIME schools throughout Southeast Michigan.
Tony Davis, national director of FAME USA, will address about 30 juniors and seniors from SME PRIME schools whose graduates overwhelmingly plan to pursue manufacturing or engineering careers. Students will be on campus from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. today.
WCC is FAME’s only higher education institution in the state of Michigan’s Mitten chapter. The program offers apprenticeships and educational pathways to an associate degree from WCC and on-the-job training and mentoring through industry partners: Toyota Motor North America, Orbitform, Lomar Machine & Tool Company, Caster Concepts and Novi Precision.
Students will visit the college’s Robotics and PLC (Programmable Controllers) Lab as well as the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Lab.
A panel discussion will focus on job opportunities that await FAME participants and other benefits of the program. Rob Luce, vice president of the SME Education Foundation, will also speak, along with Kyrsten Rue, WCC’s manager of experiential learning & employer relations. Melissa Sheldon, director of research for Ann Arbor SPARK, will moderate the panel discussion.
FAME pairs a student with a sponsoring company to complete a two-year work-and-learn program, equipping students with the skills required for the rapidly evolving manufacturing industry and offers a debt-free path to an associate degree in under two years.
“The opportunity this partnership provides to students in southeastern Michigan is really unparalleled. PRIME students are well-prepared for a program like FAME AMT and have already demonstrated a desire to learn more. Moving into the FAME AMT program will empower them to earn money from experience and earn an associate degree at the same time. It’s a perfect fit. FAME employers are looking for great talent to grow and invest in for the long haul and I am excited to watch the success stories that will come from this alignment,” Davis said.
Juniors and seniors from Airport High School, William D. Ford Career and Technical Center, and East Jackson Secondary School, all of which have SME PRIME programs, will visit WCC today.
“SME PRIME students are well prepared and positioned for success in the FAME USA program administered through Washtenaw Community College,” Luce said. “This program offers our SME PRIME students continuing educational and apprenticeship opportunities that track well with their expressed post-high-school career aspirations.”
SME PRIME (Partnership Response in Manufacturing Education) partners private industry with academia to build custom manufacturing and engineering programs in high schools across the country, providing equipment, curriculum, professional development for educators, scholarships for students, and funding for extra-curricular activities and program sustainability. SME PRIME is tailored to meet the needs of local manufacturers and is aligned with over 30 industry-recognized certifications. SME PRIME programs support four pathways of instruction, including the core pathways of Additive manufacturing, CAD/CAM and Metrology and Quality as well as a research-informed pathway which may include mechatronics and robotics, industrial maintenance, machining and fabrication or welding.
Michigan Works! Southeast and the Workforce Intelligence Network for Southeast Michigan (WIN) are also supporting the FAME initiative in the Mitten chapter.
Funding to support the MI FAME Michigan chapter is provided by the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance (SEMCA) Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN) as part of a $5.8 million Apprenticeship Building America (ABA) grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Employment and Training Administration. Ann Arbor SPARK will help administer the program and will also help recruit both employers and students.
Participants in the FAME program can be recent high school graduates, military members transitioning to the workforce, or individuals looking to move into a new career path. The FAME program is designed to give students hands-on experience while also providing formal educational credentials. The program focuses on professional presence skills, lean manufacturing acumen, as well as formal technical capabilities.
Final hiring decisions are being made for the first cohort of students who are expected to start in Fall 2023. Applications to join the Fall 2024 cohort can be submitted on the MI FAME Mitten Chapter website.
About Washtenaw Community College
Washtenaw Community College (WCC), Ann Arbor, Michigan, educates students through a wide range of associate and certificate programs in areas such as health care, business, STEM and advanced transportation and mobility. WCC offers accelerated and online programs and is ranked the number one community college in Michigan by Intelligent.com and Schools.com. The college also works through community, business and union partnerships to develop highly specialized training programs to meet the region’s workforce talent needs.
ABOUT FAME
The Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) network is comprised of employer-led chapters sponsoring students through a work/learn model over five semesters in conjunction with a college partner. The Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program, a FAME co-op, produces global-best, entry-level multiskilled maintenance technicians to excel in today’s advanced manufacturing environments. The FAME USA network is managed and supported by The Manufacturing Institute; learn more at FAME-USA.com.
For more information about Washtenaw Community College, visit www.wccnet.edu.
