The Future of Engineering Shown by Chicago Community College

Spacious new facility in Chicago supports the next generation of manufacturing professionals

When you think of a community college processing program, you may think of worn-out or even older equipment, and the equipment is older. The same goes for Richard Daley College, one of the university colleges in the city of Chicago. But now it is different.

The university now operates a new Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Center (MTEC) in a stunning new building. The machine is new and the floor shines. There is a sunny atrium-style lounge where people gather in a colorful and comfortable public space. The laboratories and classrooms are spacious, bright and well equipped.

The manufacturing site with an impressive “high ceiling” has a two-story open space and large windows allow direct sunlight to illuminate the machines in line in an orderly fashion. People driving or walking through the premises can also see what’s inside. The factory’s machines make high-precision parts, but they are not unique. Create hope and future.

Daley College is located in the Ford City district of Chicago. It is a two-year educational institution named after the legendary Mayor Richard J. Daley. Richard Daley is the father of the new mayor Richard Daley (Richard M. Daley).

He served as mayor for 21 years, during which time he created a long-standing nickname for the city of Chicago. This is a “working city”.

MTEC is a school that works well. The school has its own flexible schedule and plan for students in need who need to help the community and take the first step, that is, young people who can become valuable workers in the manufacturing industry. We work on the development of innovative development-oriented solutions.

New beginning

In January 2019, a new 52,000-square-foot (4831-square-meter) manufacturing and training facility was established in front of the old school building. In the past, university manufacturing teams were housed in prefabricated semi-cylindrical temporary teaching buildings that were decades old.

The new school building is connected to the old facilities by a pedestrian bridge that crosses 76th Street. MTEC includes Haas automation equipment, FANUC robots and collaborative robots, Lincoln automatic welding robots with welding end-effectors, Industrial Metrology CMMs Carl Zeiss, Mitsubishi, Mitutoyo and LS Starrett EDM teams. Equipped with measuring equipment.

The Chicago Board of Public Buildings has awarded the facility a 2019 Award of Merit. The reason for the award was: “The fluid and smooth shape of this building is an image of a constant linear flow during the manufacturing process.

The facility has a wide view of the high-ceilinged training area from the main lobby and 76th Avenue. The Building The high-tech manufacturing equipment naturally attracts people’s attention, and the colorful buildings seem to be inspired by this structure. ”

The facility also offers inspiration for young people who live in the area and attend public schools.

Webb Hicks, professor of advanced manufacturing technology at MTEC, said: “We have built this school in a building that attracts students, covered in heads that remember, which is really cool.

” Talking. Using his 40 years of manufacturing experience, he actively challenged difficult projects. At a meeting held by SME Division 5, the regional branch of SME, the manufacturing engineering company interviewed him and other Daley College leaders, which was attended by SME employees and members of Division 5.

Manufacturing history

The Ford center is named after the Ford Motor Company, which built an aircraft factory in the area during World War II. Daley College has been an icon of the area since it opened in 1960. MTEC was established in 2013 and was prompted by a survey of the Chicago-area workforce, which indicated an urgent need to address the growing demand for workers in the upcoming decade.

This is how the survey found that in the next ten years, more than 20,000 jobs will be created in the fields of engineering and advanced manufacturing technology.

According to the results of the survey, Chicago City College and Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Rahm Emanuel) decided to reorganize the school to fix the expected labor shortage. The school’s seven universities were selected as seven professional centers of excellence. Thus was born the $ 42 million MTEC.

The purpose of creating this innovative facility is to train future workers on how to use the latest technology and to provide students with extensive knowledge of all aspects of manufacturing.

Together with industry groups and company partners interested in accepting well-trained workers living in Chicago, the equipment and courses to be introduced were determined.

The school used to have a lot of high quality but worn machines, but is now equipped with equipment using the latest CNC technology, which is often the case in commercial manufacturing plants. yes

According to David Girzadas, director of engineering and advanced manufacturing technology, the school building has 10 laboratories and classrooms equipped with advanced training equipment for specific technologies and applications.

For example, desktop laser cutting machine digital connection technology, multi-axis CNC equipment, lamination molding equipment, measuring equipment, CAD / CAM and other software. Students will receive classroom instruction, hands-on training, and basic education on manufacturing design, engineering, and production.

Registrant has mastered market selling skills and earned college credit.

According to Girzadas, he has more than 30 years of manufacturing experience at the school, which offers four educational programs. This is a basic 16-week diploma, an advanced diploma, an associate’s degree, and a 4-year college degree program.

Danny Sternfield, director of media response at Chicago City College, said: “These programs can really be a game changer.

Even underprivileged students have the skills to sell products on the market in 16 weeks. That’s life. like a complete change. ”

The school’s engineering program allows students to take elective courses or general engineering courses at Daley College and then transfer to affiliated universities. Girgadas said:

“In other words, we are using the equipment and manufacturing processes included in the training to open the door to as many students as possible.”

For example, students attend a weekend class on the Daley College campus and receive four years of industrial management and applied engineering at the Southern Illinois University School of Engineering in Carbondale, Illinois, about 300 miles away. south of Chicago. Bachelor’s degree. They were able.

Community school

Despite investing millions of dollars in MTEC, Daley College remains a community school, providing residents with the training they need to run low-cost manufacturing operations.

A survey conducted by Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute in 2018 estimated that 2.7 million manufacturing jobs will be provided between 2018 and 2028.

The results of a survey by the Illinois Century Foundation made these questions more accessible. For example, from a state manufacturing perspective in 2018, there is only one position for every two positions.

Daley College supports two groups of unemployed people: many African American and Hispanic students. In a 2019 survey conducted by the Century Foundation to revitalize manufacturing and expand opportunities for Black and Latino communities in Chicago, the unemployment rate for Blacks or African Americans in Chicago’s Cook County was 15.5%. The unemployment rate for Hispanics is 7.3% and for whites it is 4.0%.

A large number of potential minority students is one of the factors promoting MTEC recruitment. Bogan High School is a public school in Chicago, just a half mile from Daley College.

However, according to the U.S. report News and World about this school, 99% of the school’s students are ethnic minorities. 94% of students are economically disadvantaged. I have a situation.

Catherine Sikora, Professor and Dean of the Manufacturing Department at Daley College, said: “Daley College and MTEC provide people in the surrounding areas with things that are not available in other ways.

We don’t just provide students with demanding careers. The latest generation are eye-catching and this is exactly the goal of the City of Chicago when it decides to invest in the future of advanced manufacturing technology and engineering.

Students in various situations

The MTEC idea predated this report, but results are awaited. The school has adopted a flexible schedule to accommodate students who are unable to attend classes at traditional times and are exposed to demographic information that is often overlooked.

“We will meet the needs of students in various situations,” Girgadas said.
The school has comprehensive ideals for both adults and high school students. Daley College works with local schools to encourage manufacturing to be selected as a specialty.

Gilzada said: “When she visited a school, the principal smiled on the way home and said, ‘I am full of hope for the future of students interested in these fields.’
Bogan High School in the area will benefit from Daley’s support program. In the new plan, the shuttle bus will pick up students from the sixth, seventh and eighth stages and send them to the university.

There, students can see how technology is actually used.
Dr. Eduardo Garza, Vice President of IE (Institutional Effectiveness) at Daley College and a graduate of Bogen High School, said this was a valuable experience.

“I can talk about manufacturing, but I have the experience of taking students to a desktop laser cutting machine or a 3D machine. After three hours, they have to take what they designed and leave. Without it, for leaders One The younger generation thinks manufacturing is a wonderful industry and it would be nice to have such an industry in the future. ”

Cooperation with community groups

Daly Academy also cooperates with the Muslim Action Network within the city (IMAN). IMAN is a community organization in South Chicago that provides residents with housing, life skills, and practical training support. IMAN’s vocational training program is called “Weekend Warriors,” which helps people who have returned from prison and high-risk youth.

The program has developed a 12-week, three-level welding course. The content is a course called “College Success”, which includes Welding 151 (Introduction to Industrial Welding) and Welding 152 (Intermediate Industrial Welding). Courses are held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, and students who complete will receive a certificate of welding skills and 9 hours of college credit.

Garza said: “There are no weekends, they are helpless people. To be honest, Chicago has a lot of violence … so we have a talented workforce. We are trying to find a way to socialize. At the same time we provide challenges for the industry”.

Industry participation

One of Daly College’s industry associations is the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA). In the past, AGMA worked with Daley College to use their lathes and rolling mills which provided training several times a year.
Thanks to the new facilities, the partnership between AGMA and Daley College has taken a big leap.

A study conducted by AGMA in 2017 found that the industry’s biggest concern about the workforce is the increase in the number of workers. This is AGMA’s first national training conducted under the 2019 agreement to address this issue. The center was established.

10,000 square feet (929 square meters) of space will be dedicated to gear manufacturing, and more than 600 students will receive training in gear manufacturing, from gear basics to failure analysis each year. The program is open to students participating in Daley College’s manufacturing and engineering programs.

Girzada said: “Companies from the United States and abroad come to us to train us. They can implement practical training programs and we can participate in the training of our coaches. I can.”

Continuous teacher training is important for the future. According to the Chicago City College website, one of the MTEC speakers who made a deep impression on it was Marvin Herrera.

Herrera is the first generation of immigrants from Mexico and the parents from Guatemala. In 2013, he enrolled at Daley College to study welding. A year later, he was hired by Freedman Seating, a fellow at Daley College, and in the last five years he has been promoted to various positions. I am currently a Manufacturing Engineering Engineer, but I don’t think I will stop there.

To celebrate his luck, Herrera began working as an entry-level welding instructor at Daley College over the weekend. Currently my goal is to upgrade engineering and manufacturing degrees.

According to a press release from IMEC, a member of the National Network of the European Ministry of Environmental Protection, Herrera received an American Pledge Grant (APG) from the Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC)..

CAIC subsidies are for underemployed and low-income people and high school graduates.
This scholarship is just one of Daly College’s student support programs. The school is developing a practical plan and recently received a $ 200,000 grant from Illinois. It is about developing a training infrastructure for SMEs that cannot afford their own training programs.

The school also signed an agreement with the German-American Chamber of Commerce to develop internships in accordance with the Advanced Technical Training Industry Alliance (ICATT) internship plan.

ICATT is a “learn and gain” program and has been compared and evaluated with the dual education system in Germany. We have developed a globally competitive workforce through training that combines company-specific knowledge, theory and practical learning.

The MTEC program is not only fruitful for those who want to learn useful skills, but also meaningful for those who have created these skills. Webb Hicks said: ”

The most significant thing is when graduates visit our school and talk about their smooth work and what I did during school. Students grow up and help them in manufacturing.

I have a student named Naomi Brown who wants to study 3-4 lessons, but he came to report that he worked at IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology) for two years and completed IIT.At his school, everything we did to him was a success.

MTEC helps students seeking professional development achieve new goals

Marcus Whittaker received his associate’s degree from Daley College in December 2019.

But this is only part of his profession. Whitaker grew up in Chicago and graduated from high school in Mississippi. He returned to Chicago in 1985 and studied at Malcolm X College. At Malcolm X, I took a year of business courses. After that, I studied air conditioning equipment at Triton Community College.

After receiving higher education, Whittaker began working at Oak Park River Forest High School at the age of 52 and was promoted from part-time janitor to construction engineer. He leaves early, but thinks he still has a lot to do. In other words, as a father of two children, I still want to learn.

Whitaker began studying at Daley College in the fall of 2017. I am taking classes at the Manufacturing Engineering and Technology Center (MTEC), which is learning advanced manufacturing technology and training students to participate in tens of thousands of jobs in the field of engineering and advanced manufacturing technology, which is expected to be in the region within the next ten years. is.

Through the Daley College course, Whittaker has acquired extensive skills in CNC, welding, factory automation, etc.

Whitaker said, “The experience at Daley University is excellent. This class taught me everything I need to know. There, I have a bonus point. My goal is to achieve my future goals. This is a big reason.”
The goal is to get a bachelor’s degree.

Whittaker will transfer to Governors State University (GSU) in Spring 2020 to study manufacturing control planning. After completing GSU, I want to continue my next career as a welder.