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News LCC Advanced Machining Center Continues Industrial Education Into Employment May 02,2006 Edgar Foy has been a maintenance engineer at Electrolux for more than six years, but when the company invested in new, state-of-the-art machinery, they sent him back to school. This Wednesday, Foy and nine other students will complete a 20-hour training course through Lenoir Community College's Advanced Machining Center at the North Carolina Global TransPark. Conducted over five weeks, the course trained employees on a Haas Toolroom TL-1 machine, which uses the same console as Electrolux's Haas TL-2s. "This machine is a lot quicker. It lets us get the parts out faster," Foy said during class Monday as he watched classmate Richard Bennett practice on the TL-1. "It's a step saver, really. The old way, you would have to take your grinder and measure it out to make that radius. Now, he's typing in all that in just a few seconds." LCC hopes the machining center - funded by a three-year, $1.9 million Golden LEAF Foundation grant - will provide the area with both workforce and economic development. "This is designed to bring in new industry and machinery," said Bobby Merritt, LCC's director of industrial training. "Not many universities have this, let alone community colleges. It's a lot easier to attract companies when there's training available." Paul Hill, the center's program head, said the course is valuable to the area because it keeps employees in-the-know about the newest technology with a minimal burden on employers. Electrolux could only have provided its employees four hours of training without the center. The machining center allows current employees to continue learning new skills in their industry and keeps them on a level playing field with recent graduates, Hill said. Some companies have been attracted to the center simply to check out the latest high-tech industrial equipment, Hill said. Companies continue to scout and enroll at the center. In June, Workhorse Aviation employees will begin a series of training courses that could last up to two years. There are already more students enrolled than computers to accommodate them. "We're trying to provide support for the industry that's already here as well as new industries," Merrit said. "We are fortunate to have this here and it's a good time for Eastern North Carolina to have it." Michael Abernethy can be reached at (252) 527-3191, Ext. 232, or by email. # # # For additional information, please contact Email: info@goldenleaf.org
Golden LEAF Foundation |