The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) Manufacturing and Applied
Engineering Center of Excellence, which includes Central Lakes College, has been awarded a National Science Foundation
grant for nearly $3 million to educate and train manufacturing
technicians. “This grant will help us
advance our goal of increasing the quantity, quality and diversity of
manufacturing technicians,” said MnSCU Chancellor Steven Rosenstone. “Employers
from across the state tell us they are concerned about the shortage of skilled
technicians. Meeting this need for highly-skilled workers is vital to keeping
Minnesota manufacturers competitive in the global marketplace.”
With the four-year
grant, the Manufacturing and Applied Engineering Center of Excellence
will:
· Work with K-12 schools to encourage
more high school students to pursue manufacturing careers and prepare for
rigorous manufacturing technician programs;
· Refine industry-driven curricula so
it better serves today’s manufacturing industry and anticipates future needs;
and
· Assess student learning to drive
ongoing program improvement and provide evidence of student achievement.
The MnSCU Manufacturing and
Applied Engineering Advanced Technological Education Regional Center of
Excellence is a partnership of 10 institutions led by Bemidji State University.
Partner institutions include Central Lakes College, Lake Superior College,
Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Northland Community and Technical
College, Northwest Technical College, Pine Technical College, Riverland
Community College, Saint Paul College, and St. Cloud Technical and Community
College.
For more information about the grant
or the center, contact Karen White, center director, at (218)
755-2208.
