October 27, 2020
Tallahassee Community College’s Kim B. Williams Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC) is recognizing people who are part of the manufacturing sector during October. Manufacturing month is an opportunity to celebrate and bring continued awareness to the industry. All month the AMTC staff offers tours of the facility Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 3958 West Pensacola Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304. A virtual open house will also be available on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 1:30 p.m. for people to learn more about the programs.
TCC offers a variety of hands-on workforce development courses for people in the Gadsden, Leon, Wakulla counties and surrounding areas. People who want to earn an industry recognized certificate in an in-demand area and enter the workforce immediately have a robust list of programs to select from. These programs include HVAC, Machining Technologies, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) Production Specialist, Welding Industrial Machinery Maintenance. The salaries for those who work in these fields range from $35,000 to upwards of $50,000.
“Our certification programs offer students a trade where they’ll be employed earning a great wage within a fast-growing skilled industry,” said Kim Moore, Vice President for Workforce Innovation and TCC2WORK. “The demand for trained technicians in the areas of HVAC, machining, machinery maintenance welding and computer numerical control – overall the advanced manufacturing sectors, continue to show amazing growth and employment opportunities.”
The College’s Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Heating Technology prepares students to enter employment in the HVAC field or, for those already in the HVAC field, to continue their education. Students are trained to become HVAC helpers, mechanic assistants, mechanics or technicians and explore the many career options to determine what best fits their needs. New Classes will begin in the Fall of 2021.
The Welding program teaches students the principles of welding. It prepares students to compete for high end welding jobs in the manufacturing sector. Locally students can earn a salary that will allow them to gain financial autonomy. This program serves a need in the community at large and can be translated throughout the United States. Classes are held Monday – Thursday evenings and start in the upcoming Spring semester.
The Industrial Machinery Maintenance certificate program allows for enrolled students to be prepared for classification as an industrial machinery mechanic and gain further education and careers in the manufacturing career cluster. The program covers all parts of the industrial-machine maintenance technology industry and elements of the industry, such as planning, management, finance and technical and production skills. Classes also start in the Spring 2021 semester.
Students in the Machining Technologies program gain the necessary skills to become machinists. The content includes all aspects of the machining industry, such as planning, management, finance, technical and production skills.
Students can also explore career opportunities in the CNC machining industry with TCC’s CNC Production Specialist program. Students learn about workplace safety and organization, job-related mathematics, basic blueprint information, set up and operation of drill presses, CNC control panels and much more. This class is set to begin in the Spring of 2021.
A virtual open house will be held on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 1:30 p.m. highlighting the Welding, Industrial Machinery Maintenance and CNC Production Specialist programs.
All of these courses qualify for federal financial aid. There are also some scholarship opportunities available.
For more information, contact the Workforce Development Division at (850) 201-9720 or visit tcc.fl.edu and search manufacturing.