INDIAN RIVER STATE COLLEGE NEWS
52
BUILDING A WORKFORCE
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
TCBusiness.com
Training for the manufacturing needs
of today and tomorrow has a look far different
than in the past, and Indian River
State College stands poised to anticipate
and fulfill employers’ requirements with a
purpose-built facility that joins together
advanced technology and leading-edge
industry training to meet key areas of
workforce need in our region.
As we head into a more high-tech industrial
era, IRSC is well on the way to meeting
future needs with a $23.3 million industrial
technology center at the college’s main
campus in Fort Pierce. IRSC’s Treasure
Coast Advanced Manufacturing Center will
be a state-of-the-art facility offering programs
that emphasize modern workforce
training in the era of smart manufacturing,
automation and industry 4.0.
Manufacturers, welders, electricians,
auto mechanics and other careers utilizing
hands-on skills are in high demand. Many
of those jobs offer earning power on par
with, or potentially exceeding, some traditional
academic-oriented jobs.
“The new Treasure Coast Advanced
Manufacturing Center is one of the college’s
top priorities,” shares Dr. Edwin
Massey, IRSC President. “This facility leads
a new era in advanced manufacturing that
will transform the region.”
The new 55,000-square-foot building
is planned for a site adjacent to the
Tomeu Center. In that location it will
create a strong synergy with the nearby
Kight Center for Emerging Technologies
and the Brown Center for Innovation and
Entrepreneurship. The current industrial
technology building is nearly 50 years old.
The college selected it for replacement,
identifying the new TCAMC as an imperative
capital construction project.
The push for the new facility has been
fueled by what Treasure Coast employers
have been telling economic development
and workforce professionals for some
time now.
In 2017, the Economic Development
Council of St. Lucie County commissioned
a Treasure Coast Skills Gap Study
to pinpoint exactly where job needs and
recruitment should coincide in the future.
Along with the traditional trade occupations,
the Skills Gap Study also looked
at newer technologies. These include
“smart manufacturing,” where robotics and
computer-controlled industrial equipment
already are in use.
According to Marcelo Dossantis, director
of business services for CareerSource
of the Treasure Coast, one of the biggest
needs is for computer numerical control
machinists, who operate high-precision
tools that are computer-controlled.
REPLACEMENT DIFFICULTY
The shortage of job candidates isn’t confined
to machinists. Other companies with
highly skilled employees are concerned
about their aging workforces. They badly
need replacement personnel, according to
Dossantis. The Skills Gap Study by Gehant
& Associates noted that “94 percent of
employers in the trades, and 62 percent
of employers in manufacturing, report difficulty
in filling positions.”
IRSC’s new building will be critical in
helping to boost existing employers and
also in recruiting new companies to the
area, according to Pete Tesch of the Economic
Development Council of St. Lucie
County.
To date, the college has secured approximately
$12.7 million of the $23.3 million
needed to complete the facility with
a combination of state and local funding.
In 2016, state legislators granted IRSC
$1.5 million in planning funding. That was
followed in 2017 by a further $5 million in
state assistance. In this year’s legislative
session, lawmakers voted to allocate an
additional $4.195 million in public education
capital outlay funds for the TCAMC.
This year’s allocation is subject to Governor
DeSantis’ approval in passage of the
2019-20 Florida budget.
IRSC has committed $2 million in privately
raised funds for the investment.
The college hopes to receive the remaining
$10.6 million in funding in 2020.
Once that money is received, construction
could start immediately and be
completed within 12 to 14 months.
Massey sees the demand for new
technical skills only increasing over time.
He also envisages these programs helping
support an explosion of growth on the
Treasure Coast.
“It all fits together to support the economic
development plans for our community,”
Massey says.
The TCAMC speaks to the college’s recognition
and support for high-growth industry
and will provide a critical component in
meeting the region’s demand for a highly
skilled workforce. v
BY ANTHONY WESTBURY
IRSC
Indian River State College’s planned Treasure Coast Advanced Manufacturing Center will bring modern
workforce training to meet the future needs of smart manufacturing, automation and industry in the area.
For more information visit
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=kFGicbRW4Mw
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