North Carolina manufacturers are facing serious challenges. Amplified by an acute COVID-related shortage of production workers, these critically important companies must also upskill their workers to keep pace with rapid technological changes on the factory floor.
To meet this challenge, a consortium of 24 North Carolina Community Colleges have agreed to expand their partnership with the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) for this skills training.
MSSC is the nations leading industry certification body for the foundational skills of front-line production technicians in all sectors of manufacturing.
A long-time provider of its signature Certified Production Technician (CPT) 4.0 training and assessment program to North Carolina Community Colleges and high schools, MSSC has recently released two major enhancements to this program:
First, it has added nine, newly emerging “Industry 4.0” technologies that respond to the digital transformation sweeping the entire manufacturing sector of the economy: Artificial Intelligence (AI), 5G, Additive (3D), Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), Autonomous Robots, Data Analytics, Augmented Reality, Advanced Materials, and Nanomanufacturing.
Second, it has selected Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, in Kannapolis, and Sandhills Community College as MSSC Master Training Centers to prepare instructors and students to secure MSSC’s hands-on CPT+ program using the highly innovative “Skill Boss” training and testing device invented by Amatrol, the nation’s leading manufacturer of industrial technician training equipment.
All Consortium members will continue to offer the CPT 4.0 program modules, which are a requirement to secure CPT+ certifications. For quality assurance, MSSC allows only trained instructors to offer CPT.
The MSSC Master Training Centers will offer hands-on CPT+ “Skill Boss” instructor training and will start CPT+ “Skill Boss” courses in the near future for students at community colleges and high schools that do not yet have “Skill Boss” devices.
According to MSSC Chair, Leo Reddy, “Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and Sandhills Community College met all of MSSC’s criteria for serving as state Master Training Centers: a strong track record of delivering MSSC courses and assessments; two “Skill Boss” devices; and two MSSC-trained CPT Instructors at each center who have passed the MSSC’s Three-Day Master CPT+ Training course.
The CPT+ “Skill Boss” Master Trainers at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and Sandhills Community College are:
Wes Prosser, Adjunct Professor, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College:
Wes has worked various Quality Management roles throughout the Southeast over the past 35 plus years. He started his manufacturing career as a palletizer on the production floor and went to school at night to earn his Associate, Bachelor and MBA degrees with an emphasis on Industrial Management through online and on-site classes.
He has worked within the filtration, gas spring, gear box assembly, injection molding, welding and coated fabrics industries with a close Automotive and Aviation customer interaction. His certifications include Six Sigma Black Belt and Lead Auditor for ISO-9001/ISO-14001/TS-16949.
Wes has had a lifelong love for learning and it has carried over to a great appreciation for teaching others. He believes in the MSSC certification programs and is proud to be a part of his student’s growth.
Stan Honeycutt, Instructor, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College:
Stan has over 30 years of manufacturing experience, beginning in the early 1980s as a utility laborer for a fully integrated producer of light gauge aluminum sheet and ultralight gauge aluminum foil. He received advanced training in metallurgy as well as Total Quality and Six Sigma and served in a number of key technical and managerial positions during his employment in the metals industry.
After 20 years in metals, Stan worked in operations management for another industry leader in plastics. During his time with this firm, Stan received training in plastics engineering, along with having responsibility for managing the company’s manufacturing operations, as well as its maintenance, quality control, and logistics departments.
He has been a CPT Instructor for 5 years and a CLT Instructor for almost a year and takes great pride in the employment accomplishments of the students that have been through his training.
Steve Fisk, Instructor, Advanced Manufacturing, Sandhills Community College:
Steve began his maintenance career as an electrician/instrument repair technician in an apprenticeship at Goodyear Tire in Fayetteville sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Labor in 1983. He spent 30 years working for Goodyear. Subsequently, Steve held positions at Cargill, Purolator and at Unilever.
In 2017, he taught his first class for Sandhills Community College, a PLC class. After teaching at Sandhills and Fayetteville Technical Community College for two years, Sandhills hired Steve as their only full-time instructor in Continuing Education.
Currently, Steve teaches at Sandhills and Hoke High School for the Advanced Manufacturing Department which includes a Certified Production Technician (CPT) class.
Charles Johnson, Instructor, Sandhills Community College:
Born in the South Bronx, Charles graduated from Samuel Gospels High School. He joined the Navy Reserves and served on the USS Wasp as an Electricians Mate. Charles then held positions as electrician for the New York Telephone Co. in Manhattan and in manufacturing at Rheingold Brewery in Brooklyn, NY.
Additionally, Charles served 20 years as a police officer for the Rockville Centre Police Department in Long Island. While working for the Rockville Centre Police Department, Charles received his electrical license and began an entrepreneurial endeavor of running his own electrical business. After retiring from the Rockville Centre Police Department, he moved to North Carolina and is now a licensed electrical contractor.
Charles has been teaching Electrical 1 and the Certified Production Technician (CPT) at Sandhills Community College for the last 6 years.
Craig Lamb, Vice President-Corporate & Continuing Education, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, states, “Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is pleased to extend its relationship with MSSC to become a Master Training Center. As the largest provider of MSSC Certified Production Technicians in North Carolina, this is the next step in our movement to prepare the next generation of manufacturing workers. By extending the CPT+ “Skill Boss” program to more colleges and high schools through instructor certification, we can continue to support our manufacturing partners statewide.”
Andrea Korte, Vice President-Continuing Education & Workforce Development, Sandhills Community College also writes, “Sandhills Community College was pleased to be chosen as a Master Training Center for the MSSC top-level, hands-on CPT+ “Skill Boss” program. Providing this regional, prestigious training in Pinehurst afforded us an opportunity to gain greater insight into the “Skill Boss” equipment while networking with some of the finest instructional leaders. The possibilities for current and future programs are endless.”
Adds Travis Coon, General Manager, Technical Training Aids, MSSC’s Training Solution Provider in North Carolina, “Technical Training Aids is proud to partner with these colleges, MSSC and Amatol, to provide this industry-recognized certification program that will help train the next generation of skilled workforce for the communities and industries of North Carolina.”
For more information on these new MSSC Master Training Centers, contact: Rowan-Cabarrus Community College [email protected]; Sandhills Community College [email protected]; MSSC Training Solution Provider for North Carolina, Technical Training Aids [email protected]; MSSC directly at [email protected].
Courtesy photo/Contributed.
