Nine Advanced Manufacturing students were honored at a recent ceremony for earning their MACWIC Certificates and Coins of Achievement.
Mass MEP President Kathie Mahoney hosted the event and gave the keynote speech. She and State Rep. Natalie Blais presented the students with their certificates and coins.
Mahoney said MACWIC certification programs are industry-led curricula offered in more than 20 high schools in Massachusetts.
“These skills allow students to enter a manufacturing facility with basic advanced manufacturing technology knowledge,” Mahoney said. “We need more highly trained people in Western Massachusetts for careers in advanced manufacturing technology.”
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is a public-private partnership with centers in all 50 states, and Puerto Rico, dedicated to serving small and medium-sized manufacturers.
Mass MEP developed the valuable MACWIC credentials for the manufacturing sector workforce pipeline in collaboration with industry leaders and educators from across Massachusetts. The program provides MACWIC Level 1 & Level 2 Certification in Basic Manufacturing Skills Credentialing.
Students Harley Allard, Briar Allis, Jillian Deady, Lucja Yagodzinski, and Matrim Zale earned Level 1 Certification. Gabriel Ashcroft, Aaron Hart, Dane Lupien, and Ean Redmond earned Level 2 Certification.
Two levels of testing are available, covering both the basic competency skills that entry-level positions require in today’s advanced manufacturing environment, as well as the more advanced computer-assisted manufacturing utilized by most manufacturers today.
This industry-developed and recognized testing, is fully embedded within Massachusetts vocational high schools, as part of their machine tool technology/advanced manufacturing track, and has also become a standard offering within machining and manufacturing-related programs at comprehensive high schools, community colleges, continuing adult education programs, Job Corps, Mass HIRE and various re-entry programs across the state.
In addition, students who earn MACWIC Level 1 Certification also receive a Machine Operator Pre-Apprentice Certification from the Mass. Division of Apprentice Standards, and 40 of the required 150 apprentice hours. MACWIC Partner High Schools are also provided with valuable supplemental curriculum resources for teacher utilization in the classroom.
In her remarks, FCTS Advanced Manufacturing instructor Nicole Miller called earning the certificates “an extraordinary milestone in manufacturing education” that “represents the future of our industrial workforce.”
Miller said the sophomores earning Level 1 status have mastered shop math, reading technical blueprints, developed precise measurement techniques, and have an understanding of critical workplace protocols.
According to Miller, the seniors who achieved Level 2 status have gone far beyond the basics to master CNC programming, explored lean manufacturing principles, and developed complex technical skills.
“What connects you all is more than just a certification – it’s a shared passion for manufacturing,” Miller said. “To each student here today, you have shown that with hard work, dedication, and a willingness to learn, remarkable achievements are possible. Whether you’re taking first steps or preparing to leap into your careers, you are ready to enter the workforce with skills, confidence, and bright futures ahead.”
Miller concluded by saying the students are the “heartbeat of innovation, the builders of tomorrow, and the promise of our industrial landscape.”