VGCC launches Mechatronics program in August at South Campus
Vance-Granville Community College is introducing a new curriculum program that will provide training needed for highly-skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing. The new program of study is called “ Mechatronics Engineering Technology ” and, as the name implies, it combines mechanical engineering and electronics.
Courses toward this new Associate in Applied Science Degree are set to start in August at VGCC’s South Campus , located between Butner and Creedmoor. VGCC is one of only nine colleges in the state approved to offer this program, and the first in the Research Triangle area.
For those interested in enrolling in the new program, a Mechatronics Student Information Session will be held in Room G134 at South Campus on Monday, July 28, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m.
“Mechanical, electronics, and computer technology skills are in high demand in the manufacturing sector, and jobs where all three skills are required are popping up all over,” said Wesley Williams, VGCC’s Applied Technologies department chair. “Mechatronics Engineering Technology blends mechanics, electronics, and computer technology training to create a technician who can compete in today’s advanced manufacturing environment. Workers with skills in all three areas of Mechatronics are much more valuable to an employer than an employee with training in only one area.”
Students in Mechatronics will learn to use basic engineering principles and technical skills in developing and testing automated, servo-mechanical, and other electromechanical systems. They will receive instruction in prototype testing, manufacturing and operational testing, systems analysis and maintenance procedures.
In addition to general education courses (many of which are available both online and on-campus), Mechatronics students will take courses in subjects including automation, electricity, electronics, drafting, and hydraulics.
Mechatronics graduates are prepared for employment in industrial maintenance and manufacturing, including assembly, testing, startup, troubleshooting, repair, process improvement, and control systems, and should qualify to sit for Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute (PMMI) mechatronics or similar industry examinations.
The program is funded in part by a $1.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor . The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant is the single largest competitive grant award received in VGCC’s history. Meanwhile, a $245,923 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation is being used to equip a new Advanced Manufacturing Skills Center at South Campus. Mechatronics students will use the new center’s state-of-the-art, industrial-grade equipment for training.
Meanwhile, VGCC and the four county school systems are partnering to provide expanded programs related to advanced manufacturing. The Manufacturing Skills Training Alliance, which includes VGCC and local Career and Technical Education high school programs, has received major grants from the Golden LEAF Foundation and the North Carolina Education and Workforce Innovation Commission .
Orientation and advising of new VGCC students is taking place throughout the summer. The fall semester begins Aug. 18.
For more information about enrolling in Mechatronics, contact Applied Technologies Department Chair Wesley Williams at williamsw@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3256 .
