The next Edu2Mfg Shop Talk will be held on May 18 at 3:30 PM with guest speaker David Grussenmeyer of Inductive Automation, based in Folsom. Shop Talk enables instructors to share tips and tools that they have found to enhance their instruction. The group has also worked with vendors to access remote learning tools during the pandemic.

To join future Shop Talk calls: Please Click Here to request access and/or get on the list for future notifications.

Watch Shop Talk: Previous recorded Shop Talk calls are available on the Edu2Mfg website.

Resources: See List of Shop Talk Resources on the website.

On April 27, the Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SVMA) presented the first orientation program for employers, educators and candidates interested in the new manufacturing apprenticeship approved by the Department of Labor. The apprenticeship is designed to include all manufacturing careers. It combines paid on-the-job training with classroom instruction to prepare workers for highly-skilled careers and supports employers in recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce. The program will launch with a focus on a CNC machinist pathway. Watch the SVMA Apprenticeship Orientation program.

For more information, contact Michael Bell at (916) 432-0741 or by email.

Autodesk® Announces Design Contest for College and High School Students

On Monday, April 26, Autodesk® launched a new design competition for California high school and college students. During the six-week competition ending June 7, students can sharpen their CAD skills using Autodesk® Fusion 360® and compete for cash prizes. Students will design a product that assists in organization, such as desk organizers, silverware/kitchen organizers and innovative wall mounted storage solutions to save space in smaller homes. Learn more at the competition website.

Sierra College Mechatronics instructor Roy Ingram provided customized System Troubleshooting training to colleagues from Morning Star Company in March and April, explained Tanya Hanrihan, Contract Education, Sierra College. Morning Star operates three factories in California with the largest production scale in the world with resources solely dedicated to tomatoes. They supply over 40 percent of national markets with ingredient tomato paste and diced tomatoes.

"The 40 hour course focused on control systems, input device troubleshooting analog sensors, analog I/O Configurations and output troubleshooting," said Hanrihan. "The course design was a hybrid format with online asynchronous lecture paired with on-ground instruction and lab."

To attract more people to manufacturing, small career fairs were held with community partners, Asian Resources, Inc, LaFamilia Counseling Center and the Greater Sacramento Urban League, in April. The CA Mobility Center, Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SVMA) and Charles A Jones Career & Education Center collaborated to host these events and staff were able to talk one-on-one with 90 people about opportunities in manufacturing. The Tri Counties ROP mobile manufacturing trailer was on-site giving in-person demonstrations to generate interest in welding, CNC and fabrication career pathways. This project made possible by City of Sacramento CARES funding, a SETA Regional Planning Initiative Grant and the Tri-county ROP team from Yuba City.

Jon Zeh, Manufacturing faculty member, Sacramento City College, reported that Industrial Maintenance Mechanic Technician (IMMT) Program has approval to resume On-Ground/Face-to-Face lab classes. "Students will once again be able to physically put their hands on equipment," said Zeh. "Lectures will still be online."

To expedite student completion, Zeh explained that Sac City has gone to an 8-week schedule so that students can complete the program within one academic school year. "Because of the compressed time, weekly hours have been doubled," said Zeh. The two fall sessions are August 21 to October 13 and October 14 to December 10. See the SCC IMMT fall courses.

The Advanced Manufacturing program at Sierra College won an $8,500 CADENCE grant for the Project 9 Student Internship/Faculty Externship of the Governor's Office Department of Defense (DoD) California Defense Ecosystem and National Consortium Effort. This was announced by the California Community Colleges Workforce and Economic Development Division grantee Advanced Manufacturing Sector Centers for Applied Competitive Technologies (CACT) in partnership with the California Online Community College District, DBA Calbright College.

Folsom Lake College (FLC) received regional approval for four new certificates and a degree in Manufacturing Technology. The Certificates of Achievement include: Manufacturing Technology, CAD/CAM Programming, Quality Technician and Production Planning. FLC students will be able to earn an AS degree in Manufacturing and Industrial Technology. Some of the courses will be posted in the FLC catalog soon, but detail of the certificates and degree is found on the RegionalCTE.org website. As an example, the following link is for the Certificate in Manufacturing Technology.

The college is looking for faculty to teach courses for the new program with two classes in fall 2021 and three in spring 2022. An introductory Manufacturing Technology course and CAD/CAM will be offered in fall, followed in the next year by courses in the Quality Control certificate. The position is posted on the Los Rios Community College District website: LRCCD Job Site | Manufacturing Technology Adjunct Assistant Professor Pool (losrios.edu). Please contact Vicky Maryatt for more information.

Applications are being taken on a first come first serve basis until May 17 for the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) fall 2021 training cohort on Effective Online Teaching Practices, according to Blaine Smith, Chair, North Far North Regional Consortium, California Community Colleges. View the flyer and application.

Michelle Stofan and Justin Stofan of Garner Products Inc. were the featured speakers at the April Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SVMA) Virtual Speaker Series. Garner Products Inc. is based in Roseville and designs, manufactures and sells equipment that delivers complete, permanent and verifiable data elimination. Watch the recording.