EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine April 2017 | Page 29

industry-recognized credentials, so once students complete TechHire, they can advance, for example, into our new Associate of Science in Engineering Technology degree, which includes a concentration in Additive Manufacturing, then take it a step further to a bachelor’s in engineering or information technology. We’re about helping people rise up.” The ATC admitted its first students nearly 20 years ago into the $32 million, 150,000 square foot facility just north of Williamson Boulevard and LPGA Boulevard in Daytona Beach. Today, DSC offers training in more than 50 programs at the ATC, including professional certificates that can prepare students to become job-ready or be used as pathways to a diverse array of associate degrees in such fields as Industrial Management and Drafting and Design, or bachelor’s degrees in Engineering and Information Technology. Among the newest ATC offerings are non-credit IT and manufacturing-related certification courses that can be completed in as little as six weeks. SAVINGS MADE SIMPLE... FOR YOUR BUSINESS Nowhere is the demand for trained workers more evident than in the area’s manufacturing sector, where industry leaders often struggle to fill open positions. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity projects a more than 30-percent increase in the need for technology-savvy workers in Volusia and Flagler Counties over the next decade. With statistics showing that these jobs typically pay 50 percent more than the average private-sector wage, the ATC hopes that prospective students will begin to look at these career paths as tickets to the middle class and ramp up recruitment. “Attracting new students for industry training is about exposure, making them aware of how much manufacturing has advanced, providing options, and then connecting them with the education and training opportunities that are relevant to the industry,” said Sherryl Weems, who heads DSC’s College of Workforce, Continuing and Adult Education. “We’ve adopted a holistic approach in our outreach efforts. Our intention is to expose students to the big picture that is today’s manufacturing industry, in addition to a particular skilled-trades focus, because manufacturing today offers multiple highly-skilled, sophisticated occupational pathways.” “There is no other facility like this in the region,” said Frank Mercer, director of DSC’s Center for Business and Industry, which primarily provides just-in-time industry training for incumbent workers. “When I bring a manufacturer who is interested in our ability to provide customized training here for a tour, the facility often sells itself. If you’re in manufacturing and you walk into the ATC atrium, you immediately get the feeling that we are serious about what we are doing here.” Howard Holley is President & CEO of The Holley Group. Holley is also editor and publisher of EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine. • Cut expenses - no minimum orders • Merchant services • Payroll services • Legal solutions • Business payment solutions • Group health insurance • Employees benefit from membership promotions • Celebrate company events - birthdays, anniversaries, awards • Streamline & control inventory - buy what you need, when you need it. 386.760.3151 [email protected] WWW.SAMSCLUB.COM APRIL 2017 | 31 |