May 1, 2002
INFORMATION: Sue Bozman or John McElwain, (661) 362-3415 or 3494

Manufacturing Technology Education Aimed at High School Students

College of the Canyons is expanding its Manufacturing Technology Program and reaching out to high school students who might pursue careers in the field.

A four-week summer program called X-Plore Manufacturing will give 11th- and 12th-grade students an overview of a variety of manufacturing jobs, as well as the skills they require. Students planning to pursue engineering degrees also will benefit.

Classes will be held 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday beginning June 18.

The program is especially relevant given the manufacturing industry's significant presence in both the City of Santa Clarita and California as a whole. One in seven workers are employed in the field statewide.

Good-paying positions with career-growth potential are available to those with associate degrees in manufacturing technology or one-year certificates in manufacturing.

"We are aiming to augment local high schools that have had to close their metal-working curriculum," said Pete Bellas, director of the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT), which has partnered with the college to offer the program.

CACT has also created an informational CD-ROM about the program. The exploration section of the disk can be downloaded from the Internet (http://www.coc.cc.ca.us/cact/xplore).

High school students pay no tuition at the college, and they will receive high school and college credits.

College of the Canyons offers two tracks of study (pending state approval): the associate of science degree in manufacturing technology and the certificate in manufacturing technology. Graduates find employment in a variety of industries such as aerospace, electronics, scientific/pharmaceutical, and other high-growth and emerging industries.

Programs of study include opportunities for work experience at local manufacturing companies, as well as hands-on experience with high-speed machine tools, computer-aided design technology, CNC machining and programming, CAD/CAM technologies, automated manufacturing and metrology.

For additional information call Ken Rapose, chairman of the Manufacturing Technology Department, at (661) 362-3096 or CACT Director Pete Bellas at (661) 294-1865.