Future prep

February 10, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

CANFIELD

A new lab inside the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center has possibilities that the school doesn’t even yet realize.

That’s because MCCTC has never had the equipment and curriculum it will now have, with its brand-new Robotics and Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Collaborative (RAMTEC) lab.

“We are going to be like an a la carte lab,” said John Zehentbauer, assistant superintendent of MCCTC. “High-school students and adult students can come here and take a course.”

On Thursday, MCCTC cut the ribbon the new lab that features multiple types of robots. The lab leads the career center into advanced manufacturing, which is where it wants to be.

Zehentbauer saw the RAMTEC lab at the Tri-Rivers Career Center and Center for Adult Education in Marion, Ohio, and knew MCCTC needed one.

To make the lab happen, MCCTC received a $500,000-plus state grant to cover the cost of equipment, training and materials.

MCCTC reached out to the engineers at the General Motors Lordstown Complex when building the lab. There are roughly 1,000 robots in operation at the Lordstown complex.

“We were here last year and this was just an open shell,” said Jim Heist, director of engineering at the Lordstown complex. “It’s amazing to come in here and see it. We are very proud to be a part of this endeavor.”

Last year on National Manufacturing Day, MCCTC students visited the plant to check out how robotics is used to build the Chevrolet Cruze. Engineers from GM will continue to work with MCCTC to help prepare students for the real-world manufacturing experience.

“It’s great,” Zehentbauer said of the connection with GM Lordstown. “They were integral in helping us set up this lab.”

In the lab, students learn how to program robotics and fix them. They can earn five certifications, and classes are already being offered in the lab.