Forbes Magazine says Houston is the best city in America for manufacturing and in less than 10 years, companies will need to fill more than three million manufacturing jobs.
Houston Community College (HCC) is positioned to fill the skills gap by educating and training individuals at the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence.
HCC leadership, Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella and members of the community celebrated the grand opening of the Center, housed at the newly constructed Stafford Workforce Building on the HCC Stafford Campus. Stafford is home to the largest concentration of pipe, valve and fitting manufacturers in the United States.
"We offer a lot here, and Stafford should certainly be proud of what it has cultivated as a result of its relationship with Houston Community College," said Mayor Scarcella. "We look forward to making this one of the premier workforce development destinations in the country."
The HCC Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence offers degrees in Manufacturing Technology and Manufacturing Engineering Technology and certificates in plumbing, welding pipefitting, mechatronics, industrial robotics and automation in collaboration with the School of Continuing Education and the HCC Material Science Center of Excellence.
"In support of local industry, this Center of Excellence offers opportunities for upskilling incumbent workers who must keep up with technology and industry changes," said Dr. Madeline Burillo, HCC Southwest President.
Advanced Manufacturing students have access to state-of-the-art industrial technology laboratories, CNC machines, a makerspace with 3-D printers, woodworking and machining tools and, most importantly, a pipeline to prosperous careers.
Robert Glaser, Vice Chair of the HCC Board of Trustees, owns a manufacturing business in Stafford and noted that he has the same equipment in his shop.
"Whether our students are straight out of high school or have come to change careers, this is what you want them to be learning on," Glaser said.
"I am pleased to be part of what HCC is doing," said Nathan Byman, Industry partner and Chair of the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Advisory Board. "Its recognition of the importance of manufacturing to the strength of our community is tremendous."
Chancellor Cesar Maldonado said that HCC students are at the right place at the right time.
"In the next decade, we are going to see a convergence of IT, manufacturing, big data, machine tools and construction, all before our eyes - and it is going to be happening here at this Center," said Maldonado.
For more information contact:
Houston Community College
3100 Main Street
Houston, TX 77002
www.hccs.edu/manufacturing