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JCC Offering Certified Production Technician Program

Manufacturers can now have their employees achieve a national accreditation as a certified production technician through Jamestown Community College.

Manufacturers from Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties are invited to join the training consortium for a nationally accredited certification program that will access grant funding and upgrade the knowledge and skills of their production employees.

Enrollments are being accepted for the certified production technician program, offered by JCC’s Center for Continuing Education in partnership with the University at Buffalo Center for Industrial Effectiveness. Businesses can register one or more employees in the program, which will be held from January through June 2018.

Certified production technician supplies the core knowledge and skills required for front-line manufacturing jobs. Based on industry defined and federally endorsed national standards, the content prepares candidates for entry level to supervisory production roles with a portable credential.

Curriculum was developed by the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, industry led, training, assessment and certification system. The program educates candidates in safety, quality practices and measurement, manufacturing processes and production, and maintenance awareness.

To offset training costs, the Workforce Development Institute is available to assist organizations in applying for a subsidy to cover half of the training costs, pending successful completion of the program by participants.

The certified production technician program recently debuted in Chautauqua County via a pilot with Cummins Inc.’s Jamestown engine plant. Cummins’ desire to offer the program locally stems from experiencing the value and effectiveness in providing a credentialed, nationally recognized training to employees at its manufacturing facility in Columbus, Ind.

The Manufacturers Association of the Southern Tier endorsed certified production technician as a program that provides essential baseline knowledge and skills for incumbent workers and individuals entering the manufacturing workforce.

“Developing a skilled workforce is essential to the competiveness of manufacturers in the region,” stated Todd Tranum, MAST executive director. “The MAST board of directors has endorsed the CPT because we seek this as a valuable credential for both current and potential employees. The CPT is a helpful assessment and training tool that all manufacturers should consider implementing for their employees and request of their applicants.”

Candidates receive 109 hours of training. The program features web-based education as well as classroom learning provided by TCIE Director of Operational Excellence Peter Baumgartner. In-class sessions held at JCC’s Jamestown campus and supplemental textbook reading reinforce the virtual workspace lessons through interactive discussion and hands-on simulations.

“The CPT material addresses the new demands of manufacturing,” Baumgartner said. “There are safety, quality and maintenance components of manufacturing that, 10 years ago, weren’t on the minds of the average employee. Now they are an integral part of their jobs.”

Candidates earn certified production technician certification after passing all production module exams. The certified production technician is accredited by the American National Standards Institute, the only global certification body for manufacturers,

For more information, contact Grant Umberger at grantumberger@mail.sunyjcc.edu or 338-1005.

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