CAMS aims to lead the nation in training for advanced manufacturing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Jaimie Albright

Business Manager

Hudson Valley leads students into the future, and its latest project is nothing short of revolutionary.

The development of CAMS has been most impressive; steel framing is up and the flooring is down, and we’re seeing the exterior come together. Expected to be completed by May 2019, the two floor, 37,000 square feet project will total 14.5 million dollars. This building will be a special edition to the Hudson Valley Campus as it will play a vital role in preparing students for skilled labor in a field that is currently underrepresented.

“The goal is to double enrollment in Advanced Manufacturing Technology,” says Dennis Kennedy, “which is an A.O.S. degree program training students to become CNC machinists, programmers and technicians who work in manufacturing facilities. What we’ve seen in the past few years is a very high demand for graduates of the HVCC Advanced Manufacturing Technology program. The program has a 100% job placement rate, so students are getting hired in their first year on campus, and certainly in their second year. These are good paying jobs.”

It’s strong demand from local industry that prompted this endeavor.

“There is a dramatic shortage in the United State s of skilled labor, roughly 300,000. Hudson Valley can supply roughly sixty a year” said David Larken, professor of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. “The starting salary is between eighteen and twenty-five dollars an hour.”

Hudson Valley Community College’s Lang Technical Building (LGN) is the current home for several of our technology programs, computer-aided drafting courses and is bookended by an Electrical Construction and Maintenance Lab as well as Manufacturing Technical Systems Lab. LGN is one of our campus’ original structures.

The CAMS building will also have space for industry partners, workshops and conduct specialized training with students and space for employers to come in and recruit students. Flexible space will allow us to create connections between students, faculty and workforce partners.

Initial funding for CAMS was provided by HAAS, an industrial equipment manufacturer whose machines will be a central part of the curriculum. HAAS has also agreed to donate a genuine Formula One racecar to the new manufacturing center.

CAMS has the potential to inspire new certificate programs too. Degree areas like supervision, procurement and quality control are among the options that could be offered to Hudson Valley Community College students in the near future.

When Fall 2019 comes, Hudson Valley Community College will be home to one of the leading advanced manufacturing training centers in the United States.