HCC Celebrates Manufacturing Month With A Series of Activities and A New Partnership With FuelCell Energy

With one of the most outstanding advanced manufacturing technology training centers in the state, Housatonic Community College (HCC) celebrated Manufacturing Month with a series of exciting happenings last month, including a new partnership with FuelCell Energy in Torrington, CT.

HCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC) 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, HCC’s AMTC program prepares students to join Connecticut's manufacturing community of over 4,400 companies.

Throughout the month of October, the AMTC participated in a series of activities that expanded its understanding of anticipated employer needs, increased industry awareness of the Center’s resources and shaped students’ views of their future.

Students from HCC’s AMTC Program toured FuelCell Energy’s manufacturing facility in Torrington, CT. A global leader in fuel cell technology, the firm uses its proprietary, state-of-the-art fuel cell platforms to enable clean energy. A new partnership between FuelCell Energy and HCC provides the firm with a direct connection to highly-skilled manufacturing workers.

“Advanced manufacturing skills are critical to the future of clean energy” said Jason Few, president and chief executive officer of FuelCell Energy. “FuelCell Energy is proud of the opportunity we create for high tech manufacturing jobs here in the State of Connecticut and our partnership with Housatonic Community College is an important talent pipeline to help lead a sustainable energy transition.”

“At the visit to FuelCell Energy, our students witnessed the application of the state-of-the-art skills they are learning in our classroom. They observed how their practical hands-on experience is well preparing them for their future,” said HCC Instructor Adam Scobie.

Sergey Schelkunov, a recent graduate of the AMTC program from North Branford, discovered how well he was prepared for the job market when he received multiple job offers prior to graduation.

“They train us very well, it was intense, but because of that I feel very prepared. I start as a CNC operator in a new position in November and I’m looking forward to the work being steady,” said Schelkunov.

Also during the month, Young Manufacturers, a group that provides an environment for future leaders in manufacturing to grow and learn from each other, toured HCC’s AMTC facility. Additionally, to learn the needs of the manufacturing community, AMTC hosted an Industry Advisory Committee meeting with local industry partners and manufacturing educators. Decisions on skills training and equipment purchases are shaped by these partner discussions.

Finally, professors from HCC’s AMTC participated in a manufacturing panel with Junior Achievement. The panel showcased the careers and opportunities that manufacturing can provide to high school students from Bridgeport and Ansonia.

“Inventions such as helicopters, submarines and televisions are tied to Connecticut’s manufacturing industry. Housatonic’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center is meeting the demands of today’s employers, shaping our students for long-lasting and lucrative careers,” said Kristy Jelenik, Executive Director of the Housatonic Community College Foundation.

To learn more about HCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center program, contact Felisha Guirand-Fleurimond at or call 203-332-5975. To learn more about the Housatonic Community College Foundation and how you can support scholars, please visit www.housatonic.edu or call 203-332-5078.

About Housatonic Community College Foundation
Founded in 1990 by a team of business and arts leaders from the greater Bridgeport community, the HCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that solicits, secures and manages contributions from the private sector through individuals, corporations and foundations for the benefit of HCC. The HCC Foundation distributes resources in the form of full and partial scholarships to students with proven academic performance and demonstrated financial need.

About FuelCell Energy
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCEL): FuelCell Energy is a global leader in sustainable clean energy technologies that address some of the world’s most critical challenges around energy, safety and global urbanization. As a leading global manufacturer of proprietary fuel cell technology platforms, FuelCell Energy is uniquely positioned to serve customers worldwide with sustainable products and solutions for businesses, utilities, governments and municipalities. Our solutions are designed to enable a world empowered by clean energy, enhancing the quality of life for people around the globe. We target large-scale power users with our megawatt-class installations globally, and currently offer sub-megawatt solutions for smaller power consumers in Europe. To provide a frame of reference, one megawatt is adequate to continually power approximately 1,000 average sized U.S. homes. We develop turn-key distributed power generation solutions and operate and provide comprehensive service for the life of the power plant. Our fuel cell solution is a clean, efficient alternative to traditional combustion-based power generation, and is complementary to an energy mix consisting of intermittent sources of energy, such as solar and wind turbines. Our customer base includes utility companies, municipalities, universities, hospitals, government entities/military bases and a variety of industrial and commercial enterprises. Our leading geographic markets are currently the United States and South Korea, and we are pursuing opportunities in other countries around the world. FuelCell Energy, based in Connecticut, was founded in 1969.

Caption For Photo Above: Students from Housatonic Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Program toured FuelCell Energy’s manufacturing facility in Torrington, CT last month as part of the College’s celebration of Manufacturing Month.

Caption For Photo Right: AMTC graduate Sarah Galaburri of Milford demonstrates working with a surface grinder.

Caption For Photo Right: AMTC graduate Sergey Shchelkunov demonstrates a HAAS Mini Mill CNC machine.