March 8, 2017
East Central Community College students will have a new career option beginning with the fall 2017 semester as the college implements a program in Automation and Control Technology, pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Automation and Control Technology is a technical program that provides participants with the technical knowledge and skills necessary for gaining employment as an automated manufacturing systems technician in maintenance diagnostics, engineering, or production in an automated manufacturing environment. The focus of this program is on electricity/electronics, fluid power, motors and controllers, programmable controls, interfacing techniques, instrumentation, and automated processes.
Those who successfully complete the 60-credit hour, two-year program of study will be awarded the associate of applied science degree. Graduates of the program will be qualified to seek employment as entry-level electronics, instrumentation, robotics, automation, and maintenance technicians. They will also be better prepared to continue their education in advanced engineering-related fields.
Startup funding for the program comes from a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Challenge Grant awarded by the Mississippi Community College Board.
According to Dexter Holloway, Mississippi Community College Board assistant executive director for workforce and economic development, CTE Challenge Grants are “workforce projects designed to fund the establishment of industry specific CTE programs that align to a sector of business and industry within a college district that do not qualify for traditional workforce training dollars.”
ECCC President Dr. Billy Stewart said, “The addition of this program meets both our commitments of Teaching and Learning and Resource Planning and Development. I want to acknowledge the leadership of Dr. Teresa Houston, vice president for instruction, who along with Wayne Eason, director of career and technical education, worked to prepare the grant applications. Our administration, faculty and staff are committed to excellence and to the students who are the beneficiaries of this new area of instruction.”
For more information on the new program, contact Eason at 601-635-6211, or email weason@eccc.edu.
