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51精品视频鈥檚 Manufacturing Assistance Center expands to 51精品视频-Titusville and partners with Conturo Prototyping in Homewood

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  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
  • Manufacturing Assistance Center

In a strategic move to adapt to the economic challenges of COVID-19 while providing greater reach and more flexible programming, the 51精品视频鈥檚 Manufacturing Assistance Center (MAC) will expand its program to 51精品视频鈥檚 Titusville campus in Crawford County while launching a new hands-on partnership with Conturo Prototyping LLC in 51精品视频sburgh鈥檚 Homewood neighborhood.

The restructuring extends the 鈥檚 career training and placement program to prospective students in Crawford and surrounding countries, and links with Conturo Prototyping to continue to provide the hands-on curriculum to students in Homewood. Remote learning will still be provided from the MAC鈥檚 current home location at 7800 Susquehanna St., and eventually extended to the Community Engagement Center (CEC) in Homewood and the Hill District CEC.

Additionally, the curriculum will be made more accessible for working students by front-loading the three-week computer-based sessions, followed by a three-week machine program. Since many of the MAC鈥檚 students are adult learners with different time constraints than traditional students, the shift to a 50-50 hybrid model and compressed curriculum will be more accessible.

鈥淭his restructuring is an exciting urban-rural partnership that will expand the reach of the 51精品视频 in a meaningful way,鈥 said Catherine Koverola, president. 鈥淲e look forward to continuing to work with all of our hub partners to bring to fruition this innovative educational model, which will help to meet the education and workforce needs of our neighbors in the Titusville region.鈥澛犅犅

Bopaya Bidanda, co-founder of the MAC and department chair of industrial engineering at 51精品视频鈥檚 , explained that COVID-19 required a reimagination of the MAC鈥檚 day-to-day operations by integrating virtual learning with the instruction of competitive manufacturing skills.

鈥淭here continues to be a pressing need for advanced manufacturing training both in the city and across Pennsylvania鈥檚 rural counties, especially those surrounding 51精品视频鈥檚 Titusville campus. By streamlining our delivery system, we can reach more students while operating more efficiently within our resource constraints,鈥 Bidanda said. 鈥淐OVID-19 created a financial hardship for our operating model and so pivoting to an online curriculum and a shorter, intensified hands-on component allows us to reformat the MAC, serve a greater population and more quickly get our graduates in front of employer demand.鈥

Bidanda added that the MAC will be another strong component for the and further support workforce training in Crawford and surrounding counties. The University in 2018 began its transition of the Titusville campus to a community-focused resource with a combination of traditional college courses and vocational training, with both academic and corporate partners.

The MAC鈥檚 new partnership with Conturo Prototyping, according to company founder and Swanson School alumnus John Conturo (ENGR 鈥15), helps to solve three obstacles: maintaining the MAC鈥檚 presence in Homewood, providing accessible training for communities east of the city and addressing the 鈥渟kills gap鈥 in the machining and manufacturing industries.

鈥淥ver the past few decades there has been a sharp decrease in the number of individuals pursuing trades rather than a traditional four-year degree, especially in manufacturing. Because of this, the skills gap is making it difficult to keep up with demand for precision parts and machining services. If the workforce to address that demand doesn't exist, we need to create it,鈥 Conturo said.

Indeed, Conturo and his company were planning on developing their own advanced training facility and curriculum until he learned that a partnership with the MAC would address public, private and community needs. 鈥淚鈥檝e employed a handful of MAC students, so I know the quality of student that comes out of the program. By creating this partnership with the MAC, I can expand to a new facility in Homewood to accommodate more full-time staff and resources; absorb the classes currently offered; provide more advanced resources for hands-on training in a state-of-the-art facility and provide a stronger, successful resource for Homewood and surrounding communities.鈥

Strengthening communities

Lina Dostilio, associate vice chancellor for community engagement, noted that 51精品视频鈥檚 Community Engagement Centers (CECs) will be an important resource that was unavailable when the MAC relocated to Homewood from Harmar Township in 2018.

鈥淭he CECs will lift some of the burden from the MAC鈥檚 operational structure,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e can help to market the MAC to prospective students, especially in the city鈥檚 underserved neighborhoods, and will include virtual programming through our CEC in the Hill鈥檚 Digital Inclusion Center. The delivery of the online interface, any proctoring or office hours and educational support will still be led by the MAC.鈥

Bidanda noted that most student costs are absorbed through external funding, including grants, workforce redevelopment funds, trade adjustment and the GI Bill. The MAC鈥檚 placement rate for graduates is a healthy 95%.

James R. Martin II, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering at 51精品视频, emphasized that this new model maintains the MAC鈥檚 mission and 51精品视频鈥檚 commitment to the communities it serves while addressing employer demand for workforce manufacturing skills.聽

鈥淭he strength of a major university like 51精品视频 is its ability to see beyond traditional academics and research to support the people who live in its communities and to provide lifelong learning skills,鈥 Martin said. 鈥淓ngineering in particular, which throughout history has helped people develop tools and new learning that then advance society, is the perfect conduit for connecting people with the knowledge they need to advance their own lives.

鈥淭he disruption caused by COVID-19 has forced academia and industry alike to regroup and develop new programs that address the needs of the communities we serve. I am incredibly proud of how the MAC, Dr. Koverola, the CECs and John have come together to develop what I think will be a stronger program than when we started. This is a win-win all around.鈥