Northwest partners with Hexagon to provide advanced manufacturing training
Senatobia, MS (11/17/2017) — Northwest Mississippi Community College's Career, Technical and Workforce Education Division recently partnered with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence to become a host training site for the company's coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) equipment and software. Northwest continues to provide advanced technical skills training for students and employers throughout its 11-county district.
Becoming CMM certified is a plus for anyone interested in working in manufacturing, according to Stacy Scott, Workforce Development advanced technology coordinator and trainer. "This is a skill set that will allow workers or potential employees to go out and make more money. It's another avenue, another feather in their cap. Once they complete it, they can put it on their resume'. We do it right here on Northwest's Senatobia campus," Scott said.
The CMM is a device for accurately measuring complex physical and geometrical characteristics of an object. It can be manually controlled by an operator or programmed through software to be controlled automatically. It can be used in numerous fields such as manufacturing, military or automotive technology, according to Scott. Northwest owns a 4.5.4 SF CMM (shop floor model) manufactured by Hexagon.
The Workforce Development team is currently offering a PC-DMIS CMM Level I class on Saturdays, and plans to offer more classes, according to Scott. The class is limited to eight seats, and meets for five, eight-hour Saturday sessions to meet the 40-hour certification requirement. Northwest is certified by Hexagon Metrology U to teach both Level I and Level II classes.
"In this first class, we partnered with Tegra Medical in Hernando. Before Northwest became a host site, the closest training facility was in Nashville. We are really excited to be able to offer this class here at Northwest," Scott said.
"We do not operate in a vacuum. The training we provide is based on continuous input from our business and industry partners. To my knowledge, this is the first CMM training of its kind that leads to a national credential to be offered by a community college in our state. The purchase of the equipment required for the training would not have materialized without the Mississippi Manufacturing Enhancement Grant we received, which was made possible through the Toyota Blue Springs Facility and the State of Mississippi," said Doug Freeze, assistant director of workforce development.
As a host site, Northwest provides students with curriculum and materials needed for the class directly from Hexagon Metrology U. Students go through the curriculum with the instructor, who guides them through the material. The class is hands-on, according to Scott. "It is like a lab. At the first session, students are able to actually use the controllers and begin to learn how to use the machine," Scott said.
"We have so many industries in our 11-county district that will benefit from this. It's advanced training for good paying jobs," Scott said.
The CMM equipment is part of the Precision Manufacturing and Machining Technology degree program on the Senatobia campus. This program prepares individuals to manufacture parts manually and through the programming and operation of Computer Numerical Control equipment.
Northwest provides superior Workforce Development training by dedicated and experienced instructors in technology-rich facilities with flexible scheduling options and custom-built course modules designed to ensure participants get the most out of their learning experience.
For more information, contact Scott at 662.560.4196 or email sscott@northwestms.edu. Visit the college's website at northwestms.edu/workforce to learn more about Northwest's Workforce Development programs.
Pictured: Members of the first coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) equipment and software class offered through Northwest Mississippi Community College's Career, Technical and Workforce Education Division are (l-r) Trey Cox of Hernando and Daniel Tiner of Senatobia, both of Tegra Medical ; Abraham Alvarez of Enid, Northwest Precision Manufacturing and Machining Technology (PMMT) student; Landon Fitch of Hernando, Tegra Medical and PMMT student; Michael Ousley of Southaven, PMMT student; Scott Jaco, PMMT student; Antoine Johnson, instructor and Zachary O'Bryant of Sardis, Tegra Medical. Northtwest partnered with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence to become a host training site for the company's (CMM) equipment and software, and with Tegra Medical in Hernando to provide training for their employees. (Photo by LaJuan Tallo)
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