GKB School District & Trine University Form Partnership
Article by Dean Orewiler | KPC News | August 29, 2022
ANGOLA — Trine University’s Trine Center for Technical Training and the Garrett-Keyser-Butler Community School District have entered into an agreement that will allow Garrett High School students to earn advanced industry training through the TCTT.
“Garrett is always striving to be innovative, so it makes sense to partner together with an innovative institution like Trine University,” said Corey Schoon, director of Garrett-Keyser-Butler’s career development program. “It’s a great opportunity to prepare our students for the next generation of manufacturing and industry.”
Jason Blume, executive director of Trine innovation 1, which includes the TCTT, said the university and Garrett-Keyser-Butler began exploring opportunities to work together after being connected through Northeast Indiana Works.
“This is a northeast Indiana high school partnering with a northeast Indiana university to meet the needs of northeast Indiana industry,” Blume said. “We are collaborating to create a mutual resource that helps this area and region retain talent.”
SACA certification, fabrication experience
Supported by a 3E Grant from the Indiana Department of Education and a grant from the Don Wood Foundation, the new partnership will allow Garrett High School students who take the school’s Introduction to Manufacturing course to earn Smart Automation Certification Alliance C-101 certification.
The certification prepares individuals to succeed in modern production environments that use industry 4.0 controls, automation and processes.
Jacob Bradshaw, program lead for the TCTT, will train Garrett High School teachers so they can earn certification. Bradshaw and other TCTT staff will administer exams for SACA Silver and Gold certification at the high school.
Garrett High School has 61 ninth-grade students enrolled in the Introduction to Manufacturing course. The students will have the opportunity to earn additional certificates throughout their high school years, providing them with industry credentials and skills they can apply to an apprenticeship or their future career.
Garrett students have the option to complete an apprenticeship during their junior or senior year.
The students also will be able to apply the credentials toward other industry certification programs or toward academic programs at Trine University.
“This program offers a bridge to many other opportunities,” said Blume.
In addition, 17 Garrett High School seniors enrolled in the school’s Advanced Manufacturing course will, as their capstone experience, fabricate projects designed by Trine University senior design teams.
Trine Center for Technical Training
Launched in August and offering programs on Trine’s Angola campus as well as online and on-site, the TCTT provides coursework in areas including industrial maintenance and automation. Participants can earn associate and specialist certification from SACA as well as certification in areas such as project management, Lean Six Sigma-Green Belt, Certified Quality Engineer and network management.
The TCTT features state-of-the-art training equipment by Amatrol, Fanuc and Rockwell Automation, allowing students to develop skills in areas such as machine operation, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, mechanical drives, PLC programming and operation, relay controls, sensors and smart manufacturing.
Article source: https://www.kpcnews.com/heraldrepublican/article_98703877-7051-57c7-8374-ef56f67e63f6.html