Centralia College has been awarded a grant for more than $300,000 to support its mechatronics program, formerly known as industrial automation.
The grant announcement was made Wednesday in Washington, D.C., from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, according to a press release from the college.
Mechatronics combines various kinds of engineering, including mechanical, computer, control, telecommunications and systems engineering, with electronics.
The subfields of engineering multiply and adapt as technology advances, the release said. In practical applications, industrial facilities commonly use large pieces of equipment with electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and computer control components. Mechatronics is the installation, tuning and maintenance of the equipment.
“Robot training is a very specialized sector of education, not only because of the equipment requirements, but also because of the skilled instructors required to operate and teach the technology,” Durelle Sullivan, Centralia College’s dean of workforce education, said. “Centralia College’s program has a flexible curriculum and schedule, but, because of the differences in technology brands, we needed to invest in a variety of equipment to provide comprehensive training. We’re doing that in partnership with local industry, which has provided valuable feedback about our workforce.”
The college is the first one in the state to offer comprehensive training in FANUC robotics. It started a FANUC Certified Educational Robot Training program last year, offering a basic level of FANUC certification, stated the release.
“We wanted to offer the next level of certification, as well, since there’s such a need for more advanced training, but only limited funds are available to buy the equipment,” David Peterson, mechatronics instructor, said. “This grant will allow us to purchase the equipment we need to offer that next level of training, the same training offered by the FANUC company itself. We will also improve the classroom environment and upgrade aging equipment in the lab. This is huge for Centralia College.”
The grant was written with the support of the Lewis County Economic Development Council, Pace Edwards, Hampton Lumber Mills, Klein Educational Systems, Cardinal FG and Fluke Corp, stated the release. They work with Centralia College to train the future workforce.
