NIMS has announced accreditation of the CNC Machining Technology Program at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, IA. "Officially accredited as of September 25, 2014, the staff and faculty at Kirkwood have met NIMS standards and will continue to set the bar for exceptional metalworking training for higher education in the state of Iowa," said a spokesperson.
To complete the accreditation audit, an on-site evaluation took place at the college and was conducted by evaluation Team Leader Jim Hommer, who was assisted by Educator Jeff Long of nearby Indian Hills Community College.
The evaluation visit included a facility inspection of the college's metalworking shop, as well as a host of in-depth interviews with students, instructors, administrators, program advisory committee members and local employers.
Following these events, the evaluation team gathered enough evidence to recommend accreditation, giving the program above-average ratings in all areas of evaluation, including program purpose, facilities, equipment/tooling/measuring devices, program features, administration, instructional staff and advisory committee support.
This accreditation is based on the NIMS Skill Standards for Machining Level I and II, with an emphasis on CNC operations.
Kirkwood's CNC Machining Technology Program was established in 1966 and is currently training and certifying up to 40 students at a time. Instruction covers manual and CNC machining, plus a variety of critical manufacturing skills.
For more information contact:
Catherine Ross
NIMS Director of Accreditation
703-352-4971
cross@nims-skills.org
Kirkwood Community College
Andy Livin
CNC Machining Technology Professor
319-398-5554
andy.livin@kirkwood.edu