Housatonic Community College Celebrates 10th Anniversary of AMTC New Director Announced During Festivities
Housatonic Community College (HCC) honored the 10th anniversary of its state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMTC) program with a celebratory event and fundraiser. The AMTC began in 2012 with a cohort of 20 students and since has had more than 400 students graduate from the program. Nearly 100 percent of the program’s graduates have obtained a career in the industry.
Approximately 200 people gathered for the event, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s chief manufacturing officer Paul Lavoie, CT State Community College leadership, Housatonic Community College staff and faculty, in addition to HCC alumni and current students.
During the evening HCC CEO Dwayne Smith, Ph.D., announced that Adam Scobie, after five years of supporting manufacturing students as an instructor, mentor and leader, has been promoted to director of the AMTC program. “Our current and future cohorts are in amazing hands with Adam leading the way, along with our talented team of instructors and staff,” said Smith, who reminded those gathered, “HCC’s AMTC program is a pipeline for the state’s manufacturing industry, Connecticut’s third largest sector. With training designed to respond to specific employer-driven manufacturing needs, the program has already prepared over 400 students to join Connecticut's manufacturing growing community of over 4,700 companies.”
Smith also recognized exceptional individuals who contributed to HCC’s AMTC including Bill Griffin for his efforts launching the program 10 years ago, and Kathy Saint, president of Schwerdtle Technologies who has been a leader on the AMTC Advisory Board since its founding. Lastly, Chris Lorch, who passed away in April 2022, was remembered for her tireless commitment to HCC students and the state’s manufacturing sector.
“The forward momentum of these successes is thanks to the strong advocates that have long supported this program,” said Scobie. “The industry partners that have taken the time to guide our team, hire from our student pool, and even scrutinize us, have helped us to develop this program into a force to be reckoned with.”
Sponsors for the event included Bannow Larson Foundation, ASML, FuelCell Energy, PMT Group/Moore Tool, Alliance for Community Empowerment, Bank of America, Entrepreneurship Foundation, The Workplace, Bead Industry, Holo-Krome, McMellon Bros. Inc, and Xcel Tool.
Funds raised at the anniversary event support Housatonic Community College Foundation’s new Equity in Manufacturing Initiative, dedicated to ensuring underprivileged females and students of color have access and support in this valuable training program.
“With a recent $1 million grant from Congressman Himes, in addition to steady scholarship support from the HCC Foundation, the program is set to expand and increase enrollment, creating an even bigger impact in our state’s manufacturing sector,” said Kristy Jelenik, executive director of Housatonic Community College’s Foundation.
For more information on the AMTC program contact Felisha Guirand-Fleurimond, recruitment and retention coordinator- 203-332-5975 or visit housatonic.edu.
Located in Bridgeport, Housatonic serves more than 3,000 credit students each semester, offering 80+ associate degrees and certificates that prepare students for transfer to four-year degrees and workforce training in areas with industry need.
Housatonic is among 12 community colleges in Connecticut merging in 2023 to become CT State Community College, one of the largest community colleges in the country and largest in New England, dedicated to quality, access and affordability. CT State students will be able to apply once and take classes at any campus. In addition to Housatonic, other locations include Asnuntuck (Enfield), Capital (Hartford), Gateway (New Haven & North Haven), Manchester, Middlesex (Middletown & Meriden), Naugatuck Valley (Waterbury & Danbury), Northwestern (Winsted), Norwalk, Quinebaug Valley (Danielson & Willimantic), Three Rivers (Norwich), and Tunxis (Farmington) Community Colleges.
Caption For Photo Above: United States Senator Richard Blumenthal (third from left) presents Housatonic Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Center Director Adam Scobie (second from left) with a certificate of Special Recognition as part of the 10th anniversary celebration for the program. CT State President John Maduko, M.D., (far left) and CEO Dr. Dwayne Smith, Ph.D., (far right) were also in attendance at the event.