Clark State College is expanding its advanced manufacturing program, in part due to a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
The $3.5 million One Workforce Grant enabled Clark State College to develop a certificate and an associate degree program in photonics and laser material processing.
Photonics is the science of generating, controlling, and detecting light. Laser material processing is a significant part of photonics–using highly focused light beams to cut, weld, or to melt materials without a person touching them.
Darryl Grayson, the school’s director of advanced manufacturing workforce programs, said since the beginning of the grant period in 2021, more than 500 individuals have earned a variety of technical certificates, and many are now earning good wages.
"We had students who went from $12 an hour to $22 an hour," Grayson said. "From some that were working as waitresses and working in restaurants to go into technical careers, they went from making $3 plus tips to making $32 an hour. That's a real impact."
Grayson also said the grant set the stage for Clark State to become a technical training resource for employees seeking professional advancement at area companies.
"We leverage the funding for this grant to help on-the-job training. Including manufacturing boot camps, we would undergird the cost so their (trainees') wages were paid to a certain level," Grayson said. "We work with those entities to provide leadership training for new instructors and new talent so those individuals will go back and start training other people."
The grant also helped the school purchase advanced equipment, including a 3D model printer, smart factory technology and portable training units.
