America's Cutting Edge, managed by the
Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, focuses
on the power of every participant as it celebrates the landmark
milestone
KNOXVILLE, Tenn., June 21,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- It all started with one.
After America's Cutting Edge launched in December 2020, the program got its start with its
first online registrant.
That was the snowball that began an avalanche towards a
milestone 10,000 strong.
Not long thereafter, in-person CNC machining training began in
2021. Several other online courses have been added. And almost
three dozen partners from twelve states are now a part of the ACE
network.
One by one, people have turned to ACE to get the training they
need to explore a machining career or upskill to advance their
career path.
"Knowing these machines better will help me with my designs and
help me work more directly with machinists," said Hunter Kelley, Beehive Industries engineer in a
2023 interview.
"The in-person training was the perfect way to give hands-on
experience for even a novice like me," said Neeki Meshkat,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville,
biomedical engineering student in a 2022 interview. "They weren't
just machining something in front of you but letting you do it
yourself. That makes a huge difference in learning something."
Now, America's Cutting Edge is celebrating a landmark milestone:
10,000 people from all 50 states have registered for an ACE online
course.
The 10,000th person to register, Jenifer Lawrie, a FIRST Robotics mentor and
coach at Webb School of Knoxville,
says the content will help her elevate her skillset and expand her
students' boundaries.
"As a high school science teacher and a FIRST Robotics
competition coach, I push my students to develop new technical and
machining skills," she said.
"Registering for ACE courses online allows me to work through
course content with my students, offering encouragement for them as
they develop knowledge for career and college engineering, and as
they go on to complete in-person training. This opportunity helps
me to become a better mentor for my high school students, as I
build my understanding of machining and mechanical design."
For the past three and a half years, most registrants have
picked the flagship CNC machining course; nearly 8,000 individuals
have taken that step to improve their resume.
While many have gained the training they needed through the
classic Fusion 360 pathway, some have elected the recently-debuted
Mastercam pathway as their preferred training software.
Metrology has been a popular second choice, with over 1,200
people taking the two-hour course. Soon, it will have its own
bootcamp after a handful of participants took part in the first
in-person training in April.
"There is value to this content and how it links to industry
needs," said metrology bootcamp participant Andy Polnicki with Pellissippi State Community
College.
Hundreds more have either elected to learn more about composites
or cybersecurity.
For ACE curriculum developer Dr. Tony
Schmitz, it's a thrilling accomplishment to see so many
lives touched in such a short time.
"During the pandemic, I sat at my kitchen counter for hours on
end preparing a CNC machining curriculum that I hoped would be
beneficial to the manufacturing community," said Schmitz. "That
content became the first offering of the ACE program. I could not
have imagined the impact we've had so far and am grateful for those
who have joined the online and in-person training. I look forward
to the next 10,000 participants!"
The makeup of the first 10,000 – as well as the next 10,000 and
beyond – is focused on every single person. It's not just numbers –
it's lives being shaped.
"Every participant matters, and ACE is for everyone," said
Joannie Harmon, IACMI vice president
of workforce development. "Each person that goes through ACE
training unlocks the potential to create massive change for their
life while helping to increase domestic machining."
Case in point: Mama Salla, an ACE alumna who had no prior
experience before starting the program.
Yet, through her tenacity and drive to achieve, she landed an
internship with MSC Industrial Supply Co. after ACE training.
The impact she made became national after working on a toolkit
new ACE partners can take advantage of – a one-stop-shop for all
the components needed for ACE bootcamps.
"The toolkit contains a variety of tools necessary for machining
and assembling components to build the ACE air engine," said
Michael Gomez, principal research
and development engineer for MSC. "Thanks to Mama's efforts, the
toolkit is a cost-effective option that will ensure machining and
assembly of the air engine components during the ACE training
program is more efficient."
Stories like Salla's, Lawrie's, Meshkat's and Kelley's are what
make America's Cutting Edge what it is.
Each one of them has been transformed by the training they
received – and each one transforms the world around them by their
story.
Will you be the next one?
Get started by registering for an America's Cutting Edge course
now.
About ACE
America's Cutting Edge, supported by the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD) Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program, is
a national computer numerical control machine training program
designed to reestablish American leadership in the machine tool
industry through transformative thinking, technological innovation,
and workforce development. The curriculum combines advanced
training tools and techniques from the University of Tennessee, the scientific expertise
of the Department of Energy's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility
at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the proven workforce
development capabilities of IACMI.
www.americascuttingedge.org
ACE has expanded beyond the initial testbed of the University of Tennessee to include seven training
hubs at North Carolina A&T State
University, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station,
Marshall University Advanced
Manufacturing Center, University of
Florida, St. Cloud State
University (Minn.) and University of
St. Thomas (Minn). There's a growing network of nearly three
dozen machine tool training partners in 12 states, including high
schools, trade schools and community colleges.
About IACMI
IACMI - The Composites Institute is a 150-plus member community
of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal,
state, and local government agencies working together to benefit
the nation's energy, manufacturing, and economic
security. IACMI is managed by the Collaborative Composite
Solutions Corporation (CCS), a not-for-profit organization
established by The University of Tennessee Research
Foundation. A Manufacturing USA institute, IACMI is supported by the
U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Materials Manufacturing
Technologies Office, as well as key state and industry
partners.
www.iacmi.org
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SOURCE IACMI - The Composites Institute