CLC to Hold Mechatronics Information Sessions

Want to learn about robotics and other cool stuff? In one year of full-time study, you can become a highly sought-after and well-paid mechatronics technician, qualified to install, maintain, modify and repair automated, “intelligent” machinery used in manufacturing. The College of LakeCounty’s new mechatronics certificate helps local students train for these high-tech jobs, where starting salaries can be as high as $39,000 per year.

To find out if mechatronics would be a good career choice for you, attend an information session on Dec. 18 at the College of Lake County in Grayslake. Three sessions will be held in the CLC Technology Building: at 11 a.m. in Room T323, at 3 p.m. in Room T117 and at 7 p.m. in Room T323. Certified instructors will explain the mechatronics field, the job outlook and summarize CLC’s certificate program.

Mechatronics courses will begin on Jan. 13 with introductory material, followed through the rest of the semester with courses in robotics, mechanical systems, control systems and electric motors. The full-time certificate program continues in the fall 2014 semesters, and students will finish a total of 30 credit hours. Funding came from a U.S. Department of Labor grant, and CLC developed the mechatronics technician certificate and began offering classes in January 2013. The college’s first cohort of students completes the program in December, and 40 percent of them already have found jobs in the field.

CLC’s new certificate program was developed with funding from a grant awarded to the National STEM Consortium (NSC) and 10 leading community colleges in nine states under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) grant program. The certificate prepares people for positions such as mechatronics technician, electrical and electronics repairer; commercial and industrial equipment, maintenance and repair workers; machinery maintenance workers; electronics engineering technicians; electro-mechanical technicians; robotics technicians; mechanical engineering technicians; and electrical and electronic equipment assemblers. Students are eligible to take exams for the Siemens Level 1 certification, the MSSC Certified Production Technician certification, Work Keys certification and the Solid Works Associate certification (depending upon the specific sequence of coursework).

To view a mechatronics career video and learn more about the program, visit http://www.clcillinois.edu/careers/mechatronics. For more information, contact Ted Stefaniak at tstefaniak@clcillinois.edu or Margie Porter at margieporter@clcillinois.edu or (847) 543-2904.

—Submitted by the College of Lake County.