Ivy Tech Community College Announces Industry 4.0 Advisory Board and New Degree Program

One Of The First In The Nation

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Ivy Tech Community College is launching its Industry 4.0 Statewide Advisory Board, one of the first in the nation. Advanced Manufacturing is Indiana’s leading sector and it is quickly becoming transformed through digitization and smart manufacturing. Through this evolution, Ivy Tech Community College is adapting to meet the state’s workforce needs. 

The Industry 4.0 Advisory Board will oversee the implementation of the Department of Labor’s Closing the Skills Gap grant awarded last year to Ivy Tech. This four-year grant focuses on creating apprenticeship opportunities for employers in advanced manufacturing, specifically Industry 4.0. 

This board will also provide guidance on Ivy Tech’s new Smart Manufacturing and Digital Integration (SMDI) Associate Degree program. The SMDI degree was developed with the new industry 4.0 Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) credentialing embedded in the courses, including technical certificates and certifications. These credentials are free to Ivy Tech Students, partially funded through the grant. The program fully blends the technical and hands-on training needed to stay competitive in this ever-changing field. This degree will be offered this fall at the Columbus, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Lafayette, Madison, Sellersburg, South Bend/Elkhart, and Terre Haute campuses. 

The advisory board provides a forum for influential employers throughout the state to discuss new industry trends, as well as determine new and innovative training and apprenticeship programs to fill the growing shortage of highly skilled industrial workers. The advisory board will also offer input on program development and review, in addition to providing advice on company recruitment and overall strategy over the four-year grant period.

Members of the Advisory Board include:

Robert Head, Apprenticeship Manager, Endress + Hauser

Kevin Rayhill, Director of Engineering, Lippert Components

Derek Puterbaugh, Supplier Development Engineer #3, Caterpillar 

John McDonald, Managing Entrepreneur, NEXT Studios

Paul Perkins, CEO & President, Amatrol

Malika Butler, Director of Public Affairs, Taft Law

Stacy Hiquet, VP of Human Resources and Talent Development, DuraMark Technologies

Sandra Kresbach, Executive Director, ATEA

Gabriel Golsberry, Robotics Engineer, Faurecia

Ron Hugo, Operations Manager, Berry Global                                                           

Ivy Tech is committed to providing training and apprenticeship opportunities as new technologies are being introduced at manufacturing facilities throughout the state. To support these changes, it is critical that fully-trained workers are available who have both the technical and on-the-job training to implement, integrate, and operate these new technologies. The apprenticeship model provides them a proven pathway to upskill their employees. The advisory board will serve an integral role in the landscape of Indiana’s manufacturing future.

"As a state and as a country, we have workforce challenges,” said Sue Griffith Smith, Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering and Applied Science at Ivy Tech Community College. “Apprenticeship is a proven workforce development, economic development, employee recruitment and talent retention tool.  We appreciate the support of this board in advising us on expanding apprenticeship in Indiana to address the increasing digital technology needs for the fourth industrial revolution.” 

“At Endress+Hauser, we have a long-standing history with apprenticeships that are deep routed in our history in Europe,” said Robert Head, Apprenticeship Manager, Endress + Hauser Flow and Advisory Board member. “The apprenticeship model allows young people to obtain the needed technical skills to reach their goals and build the surrounding community. Our apprentices have the opportunity to support production centers in functional roles, technical projects, continuous improvement efforts, allowing Endress + Hauser to expand our smart factory technologies and remain an industry leader.”   

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