Calhoun Community College.

Reese, Susan

CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE HAS BEEN SERVING ITS COMMUNITY since 1942 -- even training returning World War II vets in 1946. The school has gone through a number of evolutions and name changes, and today it is the largest of the two-year institutions comprising the Alabama Community College System. Calhoun offers 49 associate degree options and 52 career certificate programs to students in a four-county area of North Alabama. The school proudly notes that since 1989, seven of its students have been named as the top community college student in the nation.

Part of Calhouns evolution has involved ensuring that its training and facilities are state-of-the-art and provide the most current and in-demand skills for its students. This led to the building of Calhoun's Aerospace Training Center, which upon its official opening in 2000 became the first of its kind in the southeast, and only the fifth in the nation.

The Aerospace Technology program at Calhoun includes an applied technology degree with a concentration in welding or a concentration in structures and assembly, as well as a certificate option. The certificate program consists of 27 hours of aerospace fundamentals course requirements. Courses include Industrial Safety, Quality Control Concepts, Print Reading, Welding Principles/Theory/Symbols, Electrical/Electronic Assembly, Surface Preparation & Coatings, and Introduction to Machine Shop.

In addition to the aerospace fundamentals courses, the associate degree options require general education courses and advanced manufacturing courses such as Precision Measurement, Introduction to Thermal/Electrical Principles, Fluid Systems, Quality Control Concepts and Introduction to CAD for CIM. For the concentration in welding, students take Gas Tungsten Arc & Plasma Arc Welding, Specialized Welding Processes and Welding Certification Preparation. For the concentration in structures and assembly, students take Instrumentation Attachments & Adhesive Bonding Procedures, Composite Materials Assembly, and Specialized Coating Processes.

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Calhoun notes that its program prepares graduates for employment in aerospace and related industries in a team-centered environment, because its training in the Aerospace Training Center simulates a typical manufacturing environment. In addition, through a partnership with Athens State University, graduates may also choose to pursue a baccalaureate degree in applied technology.

Calhoun Community College is an education partner of SpaceTEC, the National Science Foundations National Resource Center that promotes and educates candidates for technical employment. SpaceTEC's certification program offers performance-based exams that "result in industry-driven nationally recognized credentials that reflect the competencies employers demand." The program is offered through a nationwide consortium of community and technical colleges, universities, business and industry organizations, and government agencies.

SpaceTEC cites Calhoun as an example of the ways in which education partners "empower experienced aerospace technicians to enhance their skills and status with their employers by attaining SpaceTEC certification and college credits." An aerospace technology instructor at Calhoun led seven Boeing technicians through a six-week course to prepare them for the Core Exam, and as a result, six earned the Core credential on their first attempt, receiving bonuses from their employers--and each of the technicians qualified for up to 24 college credit hours.

North Alabama is a principal center for the aerospace industry, with a number of aerospace and defense contractors located there, and most notably with the presence of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Calhoun Community College recognized the need for skilled technicians and is meeting that need through its Aerospace Training Center and its partnership with SpaceTEC. The school has proven to be a launching pad to success for its students, while also benefiting an industry that is so vital to its community.

For more information about Calhoun Community College and its Aerospace Technology program, visit www.calhoun.edu.

Susan Reese is a Techniques contributing writer. E-mail her at susan@printmanagementinc.com.