JCC’s Advanced Manufacturing program graduates 10 students at Olean campus

12/19/2015 7:231 commentViews: 10

OLEAN — Ten local job-seekers graduated recently from the Jamestown Community College Advanced Manufacturing Machinist Training program at the college’s Cattaraugus County location.
The third annual class featured four women — more than ever before. The college held a ceremony to honor the graduates Dec. 10.
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Eligible for the eight-month training session through JCC’s Center for Continuing Education as members of the local long-term unemployed population, the graduates had begun a pathway to future success, said local industry leader and keynote speaker Chris Napoleon, president and chief engineer at Napoleon Engineering Services of Olean. Completion could be a key to greater educational and career opportunities, he and JCC officials noted.
“The program is very intense with a great deal of hands-on work,” said Kathleen Martel, Continuing Education project manager. “We couldn’t have had a successful program without our partnership with (Cattaraugus-Allegany) BOCES, who allowed us to rent their machining lab.”
The graduates were: Craig A. Billings, Michelle A. Bouch, Gina M. Campbell, Matthiew J. Carlin, A. Renee Congdon, Linda L. Force, Richard J. Gray, Lawrence F. Keating, Eric S. Meyers and Mark A. Rickard. They were among 21 students enrolled across JCC’s three sites.
“I think one key difference in this class was the number of women. We had four women this time,” Martel said. “Last year we had none, and the first year we had just one. I hope this is a new trend, getting more women into the many diverse fields of manufacturing.”
The program offers 19 credit hours and 55 noncredit hours, including lean manufacturing and 10‑hour Occupational Safety and Health Act credentials, Martel said. It has been organized with help from the state Department of Labor Consolidated Funding Application, which last year bestowed a $99,998 grant to fund the training for eligible long-term unemployed individuals free of charge, Martel added.
The Department of Labor continues to fund it.
College officials are looking forward to the new Manufacturing Technology Institute, which will host many Continuing Education programs, currently in construction on campus.
“There will be new opportunities for students here to earn certificates in the manufacturing fields. We are very excited about that,” Martel said. “One of these students has shown an interest in continuing his studies. Others may decide to follow that route, as well, or even attend school while working. We’re so happy that people will have the ability to work and attend classes right in Olean.”
Organizations helpful in providing input for the program, officials said, include the Cattaraugus-Allegany WIB, Cattaraugus-Allegany One-Stop, Manufacturing Association of the Southern Tier (M.A.S.T.), Southern Tier Advanced Manufacturing Initiative, Greater Olean Area Chamber of Commerce, GE-Lufkin, Dresser-Rand, Napoleon Engineering Services, Cutco, and Keystone Tool and Die.

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