As technology has marched forward, advanced manufacturing organizations have wrestled with how to fill jobs with competent workers. The road toward the smart factory is paved with data-driven processes, automation and continuous improvement enabled by measurement, sensing, process control and next-generation communications. This new paradigm requires a labor force of skillful metrologists and manufacturing specialists. Fullerton College of Fullerton, CA, intends to be a player in preparing students for a dynamic future and jobs that harness manufacturing intelligence to optimize production operations.
Located in Southern California, Fullerton Community College is responding to industry needs from local manufacturing companies to help fill in-demand employment positions. The college is one of California’s leading institutions for career technical education. Starting in the fall of 2018, the college is offering a new metrology (the science of measurement) program that has been in the works for the past several years. The Machine Technology department has been awarded several grants to acquire the necessary technology for the program. Funded by the Carl Perkins Act and the more recent California Strong Workforce Initiative, this new program is part of the college’s ongoing pursuits to educate students for careers in emerging fields. In order to be an expert level machinist, students have been taught that they also need to be expert-level metrologists. The addition of a metrology program certificate fits well with Fullerton’s advanced manufacturing / machining program educational philosophy.