Breaking News - US Department of Labor Recognizes Importance of Mechatronics for the Economy

This week the US Department of Labor acknowledged the importance of mechatronics to the packaging industry and to the US economy by publishing a hybrid-industry, packaging-oriented mechatronics competency model on the Career One Stop website. The Mechatronics Competency Model is one of only fourteen featured by the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration in the Competency Model Clearinghouse. This compentency model may be used by industry, government and education to provide guidance on the skills and competencies necessary to practice as a multi-skilled technician in a world-class packaging facility. The competencies identified have been endorsed by PMMI and align closely with the competencies that were identified at the Purdue Workshop on Packaging Mechatronics. These are the same competencies that are being incorporated into PMMI's mechatronics certificate program that should be ready for pilot implementation later this year.

PMMI worked closely with the Mid-Atlantic Mechatronics Advisory Council, the Industrial Maintenance Training Center of Pennsylvania, the Lancaster County Center of Excellence in Packaging Operations, and a consortium of schools involved in packaging and/or mechatronics education to create this model. The entry-level technical competencies are very closely aligned with those of an earlier Department of Labor initiative that resulted in the Advanced Manufacturing / Integrated Systems Technology certificate that is offered by a number of community colleges across the nation. The more advanced competencies are presently being taught in various education programs around the world, but programs at Reading Area Community College (RACC) and Purdue University Calumet (PUC) probably most closely match the requirements of the suite of proposed PMMI certificates.

RACC and PUC signed an articulation agreement at last year's PackExpo event whereby Purdue agreed to accept 66 credits from RACC's Associate in Applied Science Degree in Mechatronics Engineering Technology towards a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechatronics Engineering Technology. To the best of our knowledge, Purdue is the first and only university in the US to offer a Bachelors level degree in this technology field that is so important to packaging. Both RACC's and Purdue's programs are oriented toward the needs of the packaging machinery industry and packagers.

The mechatronics competency model elevates the work of PMMI and its partners to national prominence and provides a framework that interested entities may use to seek funding to offer programs that provide education and training in the related skills. The workforce systems in the heavily packaging-oriented area of South Central Pennsylvania have already been able to leverage about $3 million in state and federal funding in support of mechatronics education and training. Research underway in the green jobs sector indicates that similar competencies are necessary for these careers. With interests in both packaging and green energy, the Commonwealth of PA is seeking additional funding to take the mechatronics technology program statewide. PMMI and the partners mentioned above can work with other regions or states who wish to pursue similar goals.

Additional information is available on the CareerOneStop website. This site contains links to the sites of some of the partner-organizations mentioned. If you have Quicktime on your PC, you might also be interested in this video where packagers explain why this type of training is of such importance.

I hope that my readers find this information of use and that you will share your thoughts and comments for others to read. In the spirit of full disclosure, yours truly has been engaged as a consultant by several of the organizations mentioned here to help develop these programs. More information on consulting services is available on my website.

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