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QCC’s Manufacturing Program is Engineered for Success
May 2018
The turn of the century trolley with its new wheels.
Associate Professor Duerden, QCC students and Dr. Goulet show off the new train wheels the students created.
Earlier this month four Quinsigamond Community College advanced manufacturing students (James Walden, Chris Bartzak, Lyndon Perkins, John Carmody) completed and passed the rigorous Manufacturing Advancement Center Workforce Innovation Collaborative (MACWIC) Level 3 certification exam. The certification credentialing program is part of MassMEP’s workforce development program. This computer numerical control (CNC) certification is currently only being offered at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), UMass Lowell and QCC.
The stackable certification credentialing is built into QCC’s manufacturing degree program and is extremely beneficial to students when they are applying for jobs.The certification shows that the students have demonstrated their overall competency in the core skill areas of manufacturing. The higher the level of certification, the more advanced skillset.
The four students who passed the Level 3 certification were not given a traditional final exam, but were charged with replicating some model train wheels for a turn-of-the-century train that was part of WPI Mathematical Sciences Professor, Dr. John Goulet’s train collection.
“The trolley was made by the Morton E Converse Company of Winchendon, Mass in the 1895 - 1905 timeframe. At the time, Converse (no relation to the sneakers) was the largest manufacturer of toys in the world,” Dr. Goulet said. “I collect, repair, restore and operate trains from this era.”
According to Dr. Goulet, the type of cast wheels that had been on the train were no longer available and he needed to find viable replacements. QCC Associate Professor Lee Duerden felt his students were up to the task and worked the project into their curriculum. On May 4, the students presented their wheels to Dr. Goulet.
“We are very proud that our students can handle this level of skill,” Associate Professor Duerden said. “This exam was administered over two week to cover Lathe and Mill skills. The parts were taken away for inspection and results were sent to us.”
“The students did a superb job,” said Dr. Goulet. “The brass wheels that QCC made allow this trolley to get back in action.”
Currently QCC has seven certifications embedded in the Manufacturing program that include:
- MACWIC Level 1
- MACWIC Level 2
- MACWIC Level 3
- OSHA 30
- Solidworks CSWA
- Fanuc robotics
- SME Lean Bronze
Visit QCC’s Manufacturing Program to learn more.
