Connecticut's Technical High School System's Manufacturing Technology Program Undergoes Major Update

Mastercam (Tolland, CT) is now part of the curriculum for students in Connecticut. Connecticut manufacturers and community colleges have requested that graduates of Manufacturing Technology programs within the Connecticut Technical High School System be well versed in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). A newly revised Manufacturing Technology curriculum is being implemented in 16 of Connecticut?s 18 technical high schools. The curriculum calls for students to learn Mastercam, the manufacturing software that is the most widely used in both industry and education. Instruction includes an introduction to Mastercam in the 11th grade, followed by more advanced topics in the 12th grade.

According to John Murphy, the state?s Trade & Industry Consultant for the Manufacturing Trades, ?The DOE [Department of Education] was hesitant at first due to tight budgets, but when we showed them the data ? that Mastercam is the most widely used CAM software in the industry ? they agreed that funding the project was in the best interest of the students and business and industry.?

Murphy further stated, ?When we were looking for ways to make our Manufacturing Technology program more effective, it quickly became clear that in order to succeed in industry or higher education, our students needed to learn and be well trained with the most up to date Mastercam software.?

Connecticut has upgraded approximately 230 seats of Mastercam to the latest version and has joined the Mastercam Maintenance program, which will help to keep those seats current. CNC Software, Inc. also upgraded all of the state?s 30 instructor copies at no cost to the state. Because many of the instructors had previously been teaching much older versions of the software, the local Mastercam Reseller, Technical Education Solutions, LLC arranged for the instructors to receive five days of training on the new software. This training helped to prepare these teachers to instruct to the 300 students that are enrolled in the Manufacturing Technology programs.

C.B.I.A. (Connecticut Business and Industry Association) has also become involved by purchasing additional seats of Mastercam for some of the schools and by supporting additional, more advanced training for some selected teachers. Over the next school year, Murphy is preparing to open up a training classroom at the Department of Education?s office facility in Middletown, Connecticut. This training facility will be used to maintain a schedule of courses to keep the instructors? level of expertise as high as possible.

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