Grand Rapids Community College announces plans for Center for Automation

Grand Rapids Community College has recently announced plans for a hub to train new advanced manufacturing and automation workers. U.S. Senator Gary Peters and U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten joined GRCC to announce the plan to create a nearly $1 million Center for Automation.

The upcoming Center for Automation will be a training hub for students studying to gain the skills needed in automation and advanced manufacturing careers, as well as for workers who are already in those industries, but need more training and credentials in order to receive a promotion. 

Senator Gary Peters was able to secure $998,000 from a government funding bill that was signed into law last December to create the project. The hub will enhance GRCC’s career training efforts toward a future full of more manufacturing in the state of Michigan, and support GRCC’s efforts to meet national and regional workforce needs.

Senator Peters was quoted by the Grand Rapids Business Journal on the project, saying, “Grand Rapids Community College excels at preparing students for successful careers and obtaining good-paying, in-demand jobs and with employers based right here in West Michigan. I was proud to secure new federal resources to create a new, state-of-the-art, and fully automated training facility that will help elevate GRCC’s skills training programs and support their efforts to cement Michigan’s leadership in advanced manufacturing.”

The Center for Automation is expected to be in operation in time for the start of the fall 2023 semester. Grand Rapids Community College hopes that the center will be able to expand its efforts to supply qualified workers to mitigate both local and statewide staffing needs. The center will prepare students for jobs like medical assisting, welding and fabrication, machinist and CNC technicians, computer support technicians, construction electricians, and automotive technicians.

U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten talked about the importance of investing in the community with projects like the Center for Automation, saying, “Investment in education is critical to the future of our country and state. Grand Rapids Community College has long led the charge of making quality, world-class education affordable and accessible for West Michiganders — I’m happy to see that tradition continuing on. Investment in our students and in the next generation is so important — it’s a priority in West Michigan. I’m eager to get to work on projects and initiatives like these in the future in collaboration with Sen. Peters and my colleagues from the Michigan delegation.”

Recently, Scholten and Peters were led on a tour of the Leslie Tassell M-TEC workforce training center by GRCC’s President Charles Lepper. They were joined by CEO of Urgent Tool and Machine, Neil Ruster. Urgent Tool is one of GRCC’s industry partners when it comes to regional workforce development.

Lepper talked about the importance of the industrial fields the Center will provide training for, and the partnership with officials like Peters and Scholten, saying, “The fields of automation and artificial intelligence are evolving and expanding, creating new and exciting careers to meet the needs of today and drive change for the future. GRCC is proud to work with our partners in the government, like Sen. Peters, and with employers for an automation and AI lab that will help build a talented workforce, give people valuable skills and strengthen the economy in West Michigan and beyond.” 

The Center for Automation at GRCC is the latest in a series of workforce development programs at the school. Previously, GRCC and University of Michigan Health-West partnered for a nursing program, and before that, GRCC earned a nearly $3 million grant to fund more health care programming. The school has also recently partnered with Dell Technologies and Intel to support its artificial intelligence programs.

More information about Grand Rapids Community College can be found at the school’s website.