This is an historic year for Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). Fall semester saw students enroll in Tri-C’s first bachelor’s degree program, aiming for a Bachelor of Applied Science in Integrated Digital Manufacturing Engineering Technology (IDMET). The four-year degree is an appropriate one for Tri-C, which has a mission to serve the community and recognize vital needs.
“Integrated digital manufacturing, or ‘smart manufacturing,’ is the future. It is designed to keep companies and the communities they are in moving forward into the 21st Century,” says Ray Nejadfard, dean, Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering. “We want to make sure our students have the latest and greatest information and technology, while at the same time have the traditional knowledge of manufacturing that is also needed. This gives our students multiple advantages.”
Smart manufacturing embraces ways to improve and invent productivity, safety, efficiency and quality. Tri-C’s IDMET degree combines a number of specialties to meet those goals, including automated systems; electrical, mechanical and network engineering; industrial information technology; cybersecurity; cloud security; and enterprise security. The need for this training in this Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) is imperative.
“The biggest problem for companies who want to embrace smart manufacturing is finding people — someone who understands it and can help implement it,” says Nejadfard, whose experience in manufacturing spans three decades. “There are more than 14,000 manufacturing companies in Ohio, with more than 6,000 in Northeast Ohio in 14 counties. Ohio ranks third in the nation in manufacturing power, only behind California and Texas. It’s important for us to maintain that third ranking or move to second.”
Nejadfard notes that 85% of Tri-C’s graduates remain here and work.
These are students who “do not want to be pigeon-holed,” but who want an extensive and broad knowledge of smart manufacturing, he says. Their advantages will help them be chosen for new positions, as well as those that retiring baby boomers are leaving behind.
“We know that automation is going to be an even bigger issue. But cybersecurity is also a huge concern. Most of these manufacturing companies have more than one place, and as they connect these locations that becomes a problem for cybersecurity, cloud security and other issues connected to the internet. It’s super important that every piece you connect is secure,” says Nejadfard, who says Tri-C’s multi-disciplinary program teaches ways to approach connectivity problems.
The conversation to create Tri-C’s IDMET bachelor’s degree began in 2019 when the school brought together 32 companies of varying sizes and manufacturing focuses to determine what was needed. Key companies included Lincoln Electric, Rockwell Automation, Swagelok, Parker Hannifin Corp., General Motors and Ford Motor Co., among others.
Regional and local resources, including Team NEO and the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET), were also consulted for their economic research.
“It was important to create something that not only helped students get good jobs and make a good living, but that also helped the economy of Ohio,” says Nejadfard, adding that the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association estimates that manufacturing accounts for 17% of the state’s GDP (gross domestic product), with Cuyahoga County home to more than 1,600 companies employing almost 70,000 workers.
Currently 11 students are enrolled in the bachelor’s program, but Tri-C’s goal is to reach 35. The diverse group of students attend mostly in-person classes, but some online courses will also be offered. Classroom labs will be created “so it doesn’t matter what shift someone is working, they will still be able to participate,” according to Nejadfard. Students are taught by faculty who are all certified in the courses they teach. Financial help is also available to qualified students.
“Students get all this at a community college’s affordable tuition, plus career support,” says Nejadfard. “Several of our IDMET students have degrees already. But they are pursing this field because it will give them more opportunities to provide for their families.”
