Advanced Manufacturing Futures Move Full Speed Ahead

At Lehigh Carbon Community College, the latest in manufacturing education is on the move–literally–thanks to a $23,400 PPL Foundation Empowering Communities grant that’s wheeling advanced training to high school students in Carbon and Schuylkill Counties via Mobile Manufacturing Lab.

Putting Career Ideas in Drive

When a lab is parked, it puts new ideas in drive through a four-week program that introduces electrical and mechanical skills through a mix of theory and instructor-led, hands-on sessions with training-lab equipment. The goal: spark enthusiasm for futures in advanced manufacturing.

“The experience is mainly about introducing the students to an exciting and rewarding career as technicians or engineers or designers in an automated manufacturing environment,” says LCCC manufacturing technology program manager Don Worman, who adds, “They will receive a certificate of participation that outlines the courses they completed and skills learned.”

The program will benefit more than 30 high school students, and Darien Moyer, a senior at Panther Valley High School, says the training aligns with his aspirations.

“I am going into the HVAC engineering field with the U.S. Air Force. So when this opportunity was proposed to me, I decided to take it because that’s the field I want to be in.”

Ava Alabovitz, a junior, says, “I really wanted to learn about electrical, but I ended up really liking mechanical the most because it reminded me of playing with Legos!”

A Wider Route Supports Industry Training

The lab boasts the same machinery and software systems being used in today’s manufacturing industry, which is why the labs’ routes double to widely support the training needs of manufacturing companies within the college’s service area. This is among the reasons Worman says, “The mobile labs are in constant use.”

Technical Can Be Personal

Getting hands-on at the mobile manufacturing lab is putting students in touch with what makes them personally tick, too.

“Growing up, I worked on cars with my step dad. Learning about the engine, putting things together, and getting all greasy, those have been my most enjoyable moments in the lab,” says Moyer. “I got to learn a little bit more about myself, too. I definitely like working hands-on. It’s how I was brought up.”

Albovitz reports a sense of achievement. “I think it’s so incredible to be able to put something together all on your own, to figure out a complex system and complete a task. You just feel so accomplished by the end of it.”

Next Up: Meeting More of Tomorrow’s Demands

The mobile lab complements the diversity of credit and noncredit training opportunities LCCC offers at its Nevin Earl Remaley Technology Center at the main campus in Schnecksville, Pa., and plans are underway for a new, multidisciplinary Mechatronics Level II program as early as summer 2025.

Mechatronics combines mechanical, electrical, computer, and robotics engineering, and with industries growing increasingly dependent on technology and automation, it’s a very viable field for promising futures in advanced manufacturing.