FCC, Workforce Services, To Start Up Industrial Maintenance Program

The school says it’s  in response to employer demand.

 

Frederick, Md (KM). It’s not your grandfather factory job. Frederick Community College is starting up a new Industrial Maintenance Training Program in March, 2019. “It’s an exciting program for us because it was born out of connecting with employers,” says Patricia Meyer, Associate Vice President, Continuing Education and Workforce Development at FCC.

She says the program is meant for those already in the field, or are looking to get into industrial maintenance. Meyer says students are provided training in “tools, electrical controls, mechanical systems and preventative maintenance. And then we have advanced topics later on this spring in welding, motor controls and advanced electrical topics.”

FCC is offering this program in partnership with Frederick County Workforce Services. Patty McDonald, Manager, Business, Employment and Training Services at Workforce Services, says these are not the industrial jobs of past years. “There’s a lot of myths about working in a manufacturing type of environment. That maybe it’s dirty, it’s low skilled, it’s low wage,” she says. “I think most people would be surprised to see how clean a lot of times our manufacturing facilities are, and how high tech the equipment that they’re working with is.”

McDonald says there’s a demand for skill professionals in this line of work. “The employers are ready to hire now,” she says. “So they’ve got positions such as industrial technician, equipment technician, maintenance, mechanic, plant operations, those are the types of positions they’re looking to fill right now.”

And the profession is expected to grow in the future, McDonald says. “The industry is expected to grow. This occupation is, specifically, is expected to grow by 8% over five years,” she says.

Individuals who want to know if this profession is right for them, or about training subsidies, can go on line to www.frederickworks.com/manufacturing. To register for the training program, go on line to www.frederick.edu/industrial or contact  FCC Trades and Vocational Training at 240-629-7903, or [email protected].

 

By Kevin McManus