Sierra College Hosts Event Celebrating Advanced Manufacturing Pathways
Sierra College manufacturing faculty and their high school teacher counterparts hosted an event to bring together industry partners and identify skills, pathways and ways to attract a more diverse student population to the dynamic field of advanced manufacturing. As the manufacturing sector continues to grow in the Greater Sacramento region, a skilled manufacturing workforce is essential to meet projected regional workforce needs.
“Right now, we can work together to align students, with jobs, opportunities, and careers,” said Sierra College Superintendent/President Willy Duncan to open the event. “Smart planning along with our industry partners can help us prepare students to ladder careers, so they can start in an entry level manufacturing job and add on education to grow their career.”
Keynote speaker Kevin McGrew, Director of Quality Management at Siemens Mobility in Sacramento and President of the Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance shared how Siemens Mobility’s $3.4 billion contract with Amtrak is addressing transportation infrastructure and a heightened demand for a manufacturing talent pipeline, and this work is, “a double down on Siemens commitment to manufacture in the United States.”
McGrew moderated a panel of regional manufacturing industry partners that discussed the current needs across the manufacturing industry in our region. The panel included Michelle Stofan of Garner Products, Courtney Camp of Harris & Bruno, Peter Hawes of PRePlastics, Scott Olsen of TSI Semiconductor, and Jonathan Duckett of M&M Machine.
“As the manufacturing sector continues to grow in the Sacramento region, educators need to keep pace with skill demands in this technologically dynamic sector. We value our partnerships with high schools, adult schools, and industry to build a talent pipeline to keep pace with regional demands. Our goal is for students at any level to be able to enter the manufacturing pathway and high-wage careers with little or no student loan debt. This is what breaks cycles of poverty and strengthens our regional economy. This has impact beyond measure.” said Amy Schulz, Dean of Business and Technology at Sierra College.
More information on Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Technology opportunities at Sierra College, is available at https://academics.sierracollege.edu/applied-technologies
About Sierra College
Sierra College District is rising to the needs of our community. Sierra College serves 3200 square miles of Northern CA with campuses in Roseville, Rocklin, Grass Valley, and Truckee. With approximately 125 degree and certificate programs, Sierra College is ranked first in Northern California (Sacramento north) for transfers to four-year universities, offers career/technical training, and classes for upgrading job skills. Sierra graduates can be found in businesses and industries throughout the region. More information at www.sierracollege.edu