Partners Will Expand Delivery of Manufacturing Certification Program

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UMass Lowell and MassMEP will provide advanced training in CNC machine operation, as well as a location for the program in its new makerspace on the university's North Campus.

10/15/2015

Media contacts: Christine Gillette, UMass Lowell, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu; Nancy Cicco, UMass Lowell, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu; and
Kathie Mahoney, MassMEP, 508-523-5498 or kathiem@massmep.org

* M E D I A A D V I S O R Y *
Friday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m.

WHAT: The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) and UMass Lowell will officially launch a new joint effort to expand training options in eastern Massachusetts.

Working with UMass Lowell, MassMEP will deliver its Advanced CNC (Computer Numerical Control) training program on the university’s campus. The CNC training program utilizes the Manufacturing Advanced Center Workforce Innovative Collaborative (MACWIC) curriculum – a competency-based instructional program that received AIM’s Gould Education & Workforce Development Award for creating a standard instructional level that manufacturers can use while evaluating prospective employees. The partnership with UMass Lowell will double the capacity of the program and meet a need for trained workers in the region.

UMass Lowell’s Francis College of Engineering will provide advanced training in CNC machine operation, as well as a location for the program in its new makerspace, which features a range of resources, such as workstations for machining and electronics, 3D printers and walls that are entirely whiteboard to inspire creativity and collaboration.

The partnership provides a new way for UMass Lowell to address one of its strategic priorities: responding to the workforce development needs of the region by expanding access to its high-quality programs. UMass Lowell is ranked among the nation’s top public universities by U.S. News & World Report, which has also recognized the excellence of the university’s engineering programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently named UMass Lowell the 10th fastest-growing public doctoral institution in the country.

Speakers at the event are scheduled to include Ted Bauer, director of workforce development strategies for MassMEP; UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney; Joseph Hartman, dean of the Francis College of Engineering; and state Rep. Thomas Golden, a UMass Lowell graduate. Attendees are expected to include UMass Lowell students, alumni, faculty and staff, and area business leaders and manufacturers.

WHERE: College of Engineering Makerspace, Falmouth Hall, North Campus, 1 University Ave., Lowell. For directions and parking information, please contact UMass Lowell media relations.