Made in Williamson, Made in Fairview

Fairview High’s Mechatronics program aims to fill the skills gap in local manufacturing industry

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By Charlane Oliver, Williamson, Inc. Director of Communication

Every year on the first Friday in October, manufacturers across North America come together for Manufacturing Day to shed light on a rapidly growing talent shortage in the industry. This year, Manufacturing Day is on Oct. 7, and Williamson County businesses and schools are taking part in this initiative on the following Friday, Oct. 14.

For the more than 40 manufacturing companies in Williamson County, finding qualified skilled employees to fill their well-paid, in-demand jobs is a challenge due to the highly technical nature required.  Robots, automated machinery and ample screen technologies have revolutionized the manufacturing industry from what people assume it to be from the yesteryears of the 19th- and 20th-century American Industrial Revolution.

In Williamson County only 2 percent of all employees work in the manufacturing industry, the nation’s ninth largest economy. By 2025, nearly 3.5 million jobs will likely need to be filled nationwide, while 2 million of those jobs will go unfilled due to the complexity in finding workers with the skills required to meet today’s advanced manufacturing requirements.

Tackling the Skills Gap

Nestled in the northwest corner of Williamson County sits the city of Fairview, home to one of the world’s largest component suppliers of home, family and industry finished goods, Scott Fetzer Electrical Group (SFEG). Right here in Williamson County’s backyard, they make power transformers for the neon lighting industry (think, neon signs at movie theaters) and electric motors for consumer goods such as blenders, vacuum cleaners and water pumps. In fact, few people know that the company’s oldest, mainstay product is the Kirby vacuum cleaner.

While SFEG is manufacturing goods to power your home, just two miles down the road, teachers at Fairview High School are manufacturing the careers of future engineers, technicians, electricians and computer programmers.

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Kevin Sizemore teaches Mechatronics to upperclassmen at Fairview High School – Oct. 3, 2016

Kevin Sizemore, a 14-year veteran teacher at Fairview High School, is at the epicenter of this learning process as the teacher of the school’s new Mechatronics program. The program was established in 2015 as a partnership between Williamson County Schools, Columbia State Community College, Williamson, Inc. and SFEG to get more middle and high school students to eye manufacturing as a viable career option. Students are trained for well-paid, in-demand jobs by allowing them to take dual enrollment courses at Columbia State Community College and receive an Advanced Integrated Industrial Technology (AiiT) certification or associates degree upon graduation.

“It’s not just dirty factories anymore,” Sizemore said. “It’s a lot of automation and computerized robotics. It’s not just about sitting there at an assembly line and putting the same part on eight hours a day, five days a week. A lot of parents hear ‘manufacturing’ and they think of factories from the 70s.”

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Jefferey Perez, left, and Ashley Jordan learn about motor control on simulation equipment funded by Williamson, Inc. and a LEAP grant from Columbia State Community College.

Sizemore says the Mechatronics program is designed not only for top performing students who want the basic knowledge before entering an engineering degree program in college, but is also suited for students who may go directly into the workforce.

For some students, such as 12th grader Geoff Trigleth, the Mechatronics program is a safety net—a fall-back career of sorts—if his career endeavors don’t work out. Trigleth wants to start a business with this buddies but plans to enter the workforce after graduation to put his Mechatronics skills to work in the interim.

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Jake Merryman operates a water control system in the Mechatronics simulation lab at Fairview High School

“If they’re wanting to go straight into the workforce, this is perfect because they’re getting training and will go directly to work for a company like Nissan, SFEG or APCOM. Every company is going to train on their own machines, but they’re already going to have some basic knowledge coming in,” said Sizemore.

Thanks to the newly converted lab space adjacent to the classroom, students get the real-world experience by operating four simulators stations. The equipment was funded in part by Williamson, Inc. Economic Development and a Labor Education Alignment Program (LEAP) grant awarded to Columbia State. Sizemore intends to fully outfit the lab with a robotics machine and assembly line.

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Fairview students take Mechatronics I, II, and III as part of their 36-credit hour curriculum to receive an AiiT certification from Columbia State.

Currently, there are 37 students enrolled in the elective course, but Sizemore hopes to increase enrollment to 50 students by fall 2017. Eighth graders at Fairview Middle study “Principles of Manufacturing” as an introductory course before entering the three-part Mechatronics curriculum at Fairview High. It takes 60 credit hours to receive the associates degree, but current sophomores, juniors and seniors will be eligible to receive the AiiT certification with only 12 to 36 hours. Sizemore is hopeful that the current enrollees will transfer their credits to Columbia State or another in-state technical college to finish out their degree.

“Our goal is to get everybody in the program to eventually graduate with a two-year degree,” Sizemore said.

Fairview’s 2017 incoming freshman class will have the first opportunity to complete the program and graduate with an associate’s degree.

Williamson County Manufacturing Day

Fairview High and Fairview Middle are two of five area schools participating in this year’s “Made in Williamson: Manufacturing Day 2016” celebration taking place Oct. 14 due to Williamson County School’s fall break. Students from Independence High, Summit High and Paige High will also take part in the event, growing the event’s participation significantly based on last year’s success.

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Approximately 40 students from Fairview High toured the APCOM facility as part of 2015 Manufacturing Day.

Williamson, Inc. Economic Development, Columbia State Community College, Williamson County Schools and several Williamson County manufacturers, including APCOM, Flash Technology, Horn USA, and Resource Label Group, are joining forces to celebrate Manufacturing Day as part of a national coordinated effort to change the public’s perception about today’s manufacturing industry and bringing awareness to students about the opportunities a career in manufacturing can provide.

More than 120 students are registered to participate in the facility tours, where students will observe demos and simulations, operate state-of-the-art robotics equipment and receive giveaways. Students will also have the opportunity to visit Columbia State Community College’s Northfield Training Center in Spring Hill to get an overview of their Advanced Integrated Industrial Technology (AiiT) program.

Tours begin at 9:30 a.m. with student groups rotating each hour until 2 p.m. Students, parents, educators, public officials and the general public are invited to attend and connect on social media with the official hashtag #MFGDAY16.

To learn more about Made in Williamson: Manufacturing Day 2016 or to attend a tour, email Morgan@williamsonchamber.com. To learn more about National Manufacturing Day, visit www.mfgday.com.