This award provides funding to Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) to assist with the expansion of its industrial systems program to its Alexander County campus. Currently, Alexander County high school students do not have access to training in mechatronics/industrial systems and local workers do not have a convenient location to upgrade their skills. CVCC will equip the Alexander Applied Technologies Center with a mechatronics/industrial systems lab to deliver instruction to Alexander County students and to incumbent workers to prepare them for local, high-demand positions in industrial systems and mechatronics. Project objectives include increased availability of curriculum and continuing education course offerings, and an increase in high school students completing relevant pathways and advancing to the community college’s mechatronics and industrial systems program. CVCC will train 70 high school students, traditional college age students, and incumbent workers in related courses during the first two years of implementation. Golden LEAF funds will be used to purchase training equipment and software for the lab.
