MSU partners with EMCC through new manufacturing program
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Two is better than one.
Mississippi State University and East Mississippi Community College formalized a partnership on Wednesday, January 29, at the Communiversity.
In the Advancements in Manufacturing Upskilling Program, or Aim-Up, two-year and four-year students train and prepare together for the workforce.
“This is a fabulous research training center that enables students to get skilled training for jobs of now and jobs of the future. This is to help support the workforce here in the Golden Triangle,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, MSU’s President.
“They’ll learn about mega-tronics. They’ll learn about production. They’ll learn about everything that happens inside a production facility, very specific skills that will allow them to enter the workforce as a great prepared entry-level employee,” said Dr. Scott Alsobrooks, EMCC’s President.
Brian Smith, a professor of MSU’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, created the curriculum.
“The neat thing about this lab is it combines two-year and four-year college students, the technical students, and the engineers, so they can work together as a cohort because that’s what they’re going to be doing when they get out in the workforce,” said Smith.
Students and employees at area companies will have access to the AimUp Lab.
In the lab, they will learn how to work alongside autonomous mobile robots that will perform low skilled tasks like material handling and quality inspection.
“The neat thing about a collaborative robot is you notice I’m not worried about it. It’s not going to hurt me. Because if it does touch me, it’s going to stop. So, they’re safe to work around,” said Smith.
EMCC and MSU also opened the Mississippi Advanced Composites or MAC Training Center at the Communiversity.
Industries can send employees there for training.
STEM classes are also offered through the MAC for K-12 students.
The Communiversity also hosts the office space for MSU’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, which provides professional development training for industries across the US.
The robots and equipment for the AimUp lab and MAC training Center was funded by state and federal assistance.
