Snead State Community College was recently notified of the approval of a Special Population Training grant for equipment purchases for Workforce Development Training.

The grant awarded Snead State $97,931 to purchase Robotic Education Welding Cell. The new training will be integrated into Snead’s Welding Technology training program.

The grant will include the purchase of the robotic welding education cell, two Power Wave C300 Advanced Process Welders, two Virtual Reality Welder software upgrades and travel for two instructors to receive training. 

“The Robotic Weld Training provides students with advanced manufacturing skills. It’s an opportunity to teach robotics using equipment implemented in manufacturing and fabrications facilities. We hope to increase student participation and engagement with a hands-on training solution,” said Snead State Workforce Development Director Teresa Walker.

The class will provide an interactive approach to learning by emulating the real-world use of robotics in production welding. The material will enhance students’ overall learning experience through exercises designed to develop problem-solving and decision-making skills.  For students, the coursework empowers them to follow the project, develop complex learning skills, work collaboratively and learn hands-on with a real welding robot. The curriculum adds training in welding robotics and programming and gives the students hands-on experience for careers in advanced manufacturing. 

“Robotics plays a major role in today’s manufacturing environment, and this role will only continue to expand in the future. From the Alabama Department of Labor reports, welding qualifies as both a high-demand and a fast-growing occupation,” said Mrs. Walker. “With technical careers in robotics undergoing rapid advancement and growth, it is vital that welding education implement robotics and automation training. Snead State will incorporate the robotic welding education into classroom to achieve the new skills, teach real-life industrial robot concepts, capabilities, programming and robotic welding to enhance the training to address the employers need to implement automated processes and solutions to remain competitive.”

A new Welding Technology class will begin in January 2020. Anyone interested in enrolling should contact Cherri Barnard with the Snead State Workforce Development Program at cbarnard@snead.edu or (256) 840-4152.