A skill boss machine at the Ivy Tech Community College Advanced Manufacturing Lab in Franklin.
ANDY BELL-BALTACI | DAILY JOURNAL
A 4,000-square-foot lab provides a plethora of opportunities for future manufacturing employees in Johnson County.
Students, educators, business owners and community members joined Mayor Steve Barnett, Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann and State Rep. Michelle Davis, R-Whiteland at a ribbon cutting Tuesday for Ivy Tech Community College-Franklin’s Advanced Manufacturing Lab. Ivy Tech officials used a $25,000 American Water Charitable Foundation grant to fund the equipment needed for the $1.6 million lab. The lab’s industry-grade equipment includes programmable logic controllers and skill bosses for training in advanced manufacturing, electrical and mechanical engineering, mechatronics, automation and processing.
With the lab opening, high school students will be able to earn college credits through Ivy Tech and gain skills necessary for future employment at area companies like NSK, Honda, Milwaukee Tool and Duke Energy. With a boost from the center, students can also network with employers and earn internships, said Stephanie Amos, vice chancellor at Ivy Tech’s Franklin campus. In the evenings, adult workers will be able to use the lab for job training.
“We offer transportation to get students here. We’re building out our curriculum. And the lab has taken a couple of years, but now we have it,” Amos said. “We’re partnering with schools and industry partners with a goal of students graduating with an associate’s degree when they finish high school. They will network with employers and they will have the opportunity to get that interview. If they pass the program, it almost guarantees a job.”
The Ivy Tech program will help increase the number of options for students pursuing careers in skilled trades. Programs like the one at Central Nine Career Center continue to face a lot of demand, said Davis, who serves as the director of adult education at Central Nine.
“This expands what Central Nine already does. With the partnership with Ivy Tech, it’s a great opportunity for high school students and adult students to have another place to expand their knowledge and skillset,” Davis said. “Hopefully this will continue to grow and expand as manufacturing jobs grow and expand, not only in Johnson County, but all over the state.”
Whiteland Community High School started sending students to advanced manufacturing classes starting in January, when the lab had much less equipment than it does now. Center Grove High School students will take the first two years of classes at their school before attending Ivy Tech in their junior and senior years. This fall, Greenwood Community High School will send its first student to Ivy Tech, with the hope of sending more students in future semesters, said Michael Gasaway, the school’s principal.
Gasaway said this program will be a boon for students, he said.
“This is another opportunity for students who enjoy the manufacturing side of work and this will hopefully have a direct path for a career opportunity,” he said. “My prior school had a similar program to Ivy Tech and students were leaving high school and graduating and going directly into $50,000, $60,000 jobs. This is fantastic. Any time we can set students up for success, that’s something we want to take advantage of.”
Brandon Harvey, a Whiteland Community High School student going into his junior year, started taking manufacturing classes at Ivy Tech during the spring semester.
“I took a leap of faith. I wanted to put myself at a risk for great reward. It’s probably the best decision I ever made,” Harvey said. “I’ve gotten the opportunity of a lifetime to be in the first group of students to be here through the Johnson County advanced manufacturing program, and I’m forever grateful for the people helping me and supporting me along the way.”
The manufacturing lab provides the training necessary for a skilled workforce, said Sue Ellspermann, Ivy Tech Community College President and former Indiana lieutenant governor.
“The lab is an important investment in Johnson County and the southside of Indianapolis, modernizing higher education and providing equipment, career training and academic programming our state needs to continue building our workforce,” she said.
When advanced manufacturing flourishes, it increases quality of life and local industry thrives, Barnett said.
“This new Advanced Manufacturing Lab is a wonderful resource for our students and highlights the importance of education and collaboration across our Johnson County communities,” he said. “We are fortunate to have a number of outstanding advanced manufacturing businesses located in Franklin and Johnson County that thoughtfully contribute to the wellbeing of our communities.”
