Chipola College in Marianna, Florida recently hired a full-time instructor to lead their 600-clock hour Advanced Manufacturing and Production Technology program. Caleb Rogers is a graduate of their Chipola College Workforce AS Degree in Engineering Technology and has been working with Ingram Signalization for several years. The ET program encompasses a range of skills including CAD, project management, quality, maintenance, CNC machines, computer controls, AC/DC electrical controls, a little welding, and some robotics / automation.
Darwin Gilmore, Dean of Workforce & Economic Development at Chipola recognizes that it is a critical time for our manufacturing, process and technology business partners who need this talent pool to succeed. Chipola College is reaching out to the local community to work together to fill their classes with students to help the area economy to strengthen and grow. Some of their efforts include:
- Making scholarship dollars available
- A planned manufacturing collaborative known as TPM (Talent Pipeline Academy) hosted by Tiffany Garling
- FloridaMakes and LIFT partner to bring DoD level advanced manufacturing knowledge to the Florida panhandle
- Career Camps coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce
CareerSource Chipola is implementing Augmented Reality and taking career exploration and more into each of the school districts in the area. Chipola College has found that when they get secondary students on campus, the chance of enrolling them increases dramatically. The college is planning more targeted school visits followed by tours of Chipola’s college campus, so candidates see the world-class equipment utilized in this program!
