That is, the program's curriculum is designed to train multi-skilled technicians with the ability to fix or repair a wide variety of technology used in multiple industries, said Tony Mercer, HCC's industrial maintenance technology coordinator.
“The employers today, they want maintenance individuals that are capable of doing everything," said Mercer. “They want somebody to not necessarily be a pro at everything, but they want you to be so well-rounded; they want what we call super techs.”
Frank Honeycutt, the CNC Department Manager at Sunrise Tool & Die, said there's no doubt that having multi-skilled technicians is appealing.
"The more diversified that an employee is the bigger the benefit for the company and different industries throughout the state," Honeycutt said. "The more anybody knows with any job, the bigger the benefit is for the employer."
Honeycutt said there are five or six of Sunrise employees attending CNC setup programmer classes at the college, taking different courses each semester over a three- or four-year period.
Gibbs Die Casting also has several employees enrolled in HCC's maintenance apprenticeship and CNC apprenticeship, as well as one in the IMT program, said Michelle Ramacciotti, the company's director of human resources.
"The better trained they are and the more information they are armed with, the more successful they will probably be here," she said.
Ramacciotti added that being well-versed in several areas gives employees the opportunity to cross train rather than be siloed into a particular specialty.
Dana Henderson has taken advantage of HCC’s IMT program in the past few years to fulfill a portion of the state approved apprenticeship programs for maintenance technicians and tool and die makers, said Bryan Thomas, Dana's engineering manager. Employees who complete the program receive a state recognized journeymen’s certification.
Recent HCC graduates have found jobs through Toyota, Audubon Metals, Gibbs Die Casting, Dana Corp., Cresline Plastic Pipe Company and International Paper.
To be competitive in the commercial vehicle market, Thomas said a plant their size must run a very efficient operation.
"We are not large enough for skill specialization. We simply would not have enough work to keep employees fully employed if we did not have the flexibility of multi-skilled technicians," he said.
Mercer said that what people fail to realize is that, as technology advances, it won't replace people's jobs for the most part. It may replace non-skilled jobs, but skilled technicians are needed to work on the equipment if it breaks or doesn't run properly.
“As the industry advances, our training has to advance," Mercer said. "That’s where I think there’s a big need in the state of Kentucky alone, where they’re looking for a bigger push for technology.”
Having a skilled base of workers could help draw more manufacturers to Kentucky. The feedback now is that the commonwealth lacks those skilled work.
That's the kind of training that the IMT program provides technicians, he said.
Flexibility is key.
“With the increased use of technology in manufacturing, it’s advancing so rapidly they need technicians to be able to work on it all," Mercer said.
An industrial maintenance technology associate degree can help students and trainees secure a job at a utility, chemical plant, power plant, in the railroad industry or manufacturing, among others.
Students who earn an associate's degree in IMT will also receive five to seven certificates, depending on the technical electives they choose, he said.
Employers can contact the college's Workforce Solutions Department to set up a modified class that is tailored specifically for their industry needs, he said.
The college also has apprenticeship programs where industries send incumbent technicians through a series of classes to get training.
One of the required curriculum courses for industrial maintenance technology is stick welding, also known as shielded metal arc welding. Students may also take other courses to fulfill their technical elective requirements.
HCC opened its new welding lab for classes in the spring. The lab is located on campus behind the Sullivan Technology Center.
"The program is growing," said Mercer. "We have a big variety of students that come through our welding facility program."
©2016 The Gleaner (Henderson, Ky.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
