The Santa Maria Employer Advisory Council has donated more than $3,000 to the Allan Hancock College Industrial Technology Department to purchase cutting-edge engineering software that can be used in engineering, manufacturing, automotive, and architecture courses. Representatives from Helical Products, Inc.; the Okonite Company; and the Workforce Investment Act program recently presented a check to the college on the Santa Maria campus.
The donation will go toward an upgrade to the most current version of SolidWorks for the Computer Aided Design lab and help purchase 45 learning kits, which allow students to install the software at home to practice on their own computers. The donation will also cover the cost of videos, lesson guides, projects, and certification preparation.
“Classes using SolidWorks allow students to design individual components and compile these parts into a complete assembly. The software has application in every area of manufacturing, from the design of aerospace and medical devices to automotive parts and juvenile products,” Bob Mabry, coordinator/instructor of the machine technology program, said in a press release.
“Because most of our local high schools offer SolidWorks to their students, it is also an important bridge for these students who continue their educations at Hancock,” he added.
The Santa Maria Employer Advisory Council is a nonprofit corporation under the statewide California Employer Advisory Council. Volunteers provide links between business, education, government agencies, and the workforce.
Saengjaeng said that last year the EAC donated two computers to Computers for Kids, benefiting lower-income students in middle school and high school levels. The local EAC contributed at least 20 computers in the past, and is the second largest contributor to the program.
Industry members of the Santa Maria EAC include Abba Employer Services, Inc; Helical Products Company, Inc; United Launch Alliance LLC; Rancho Harvest, Inc; Select Staffing; TWIW Insurance Services, LLC: Atlas Copoc Mafi-Trench Company LLC; Your People Professionals; The Okonite Company; Central Coast Urgent Care; Santa Maria Inn; EDD and the Workforce Investment Act program.
This article appears in Apr 5-12, 2012.
