The 20-week program, created for Caterpillar, will be taught at the Downtown Pima Community College Campus by Pima instructors. (Pima Community College photo)

Gov. Doug Ducey attended the launch of an educational partnership between Caterpillar and Pima Community College (PCC) that will allow Caterpillar engineers to develop hands-on skills in welding and machining.

The partnership, known as the Applied Technology Academy, entails a series of hands-on courses to teach engineers and other non-technical professionals fabrication skills. Since many engineers do not get user-end experience with the products they design, developing these skills will allow program participants to become better designers and innovators.

The 20-week program, created for Caterpillar, will be taught at the Downtown Campus by Pima instructors and will kick off two courses: Machining for Non-machinists and Basic Welding for Non-welders. Anticipated future programs include basic woodworking, industrial arts, mechatronics and other applied technology skills. Students who complete the program will earn a Professional Development certificate. In the summer of 2019, courses will open to all students.

“We came to Pima Community College with a vision to develop our employees and further enhance Caterpillar's world-class design capability through the manufacturing trades,” said Jean Savage, vice president of Caterpillar's Surface Mining and Technology Division. “The team at PCC shared our passion for continual learning and for building technical talent in the local community through innovative partnerships like this. The benefits of Applied Technology Academy are tremendous, and we're proud to be part of it.”

“This public-private partnership exemplifies Pima's ability to meet the needs of our employers, and will be a showcase program in our new Center of Excellence in Applied Technology,” said PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert.

“In Arizona's booming, 21st-century economy, we know how important it is to continue growing our workforce knowledge base, skill set and technical training,” said Ducey. “Employment in our state is at an all-time high, and unemployment is at its lowest since 2008. This type of training will equip Arizonans with the skills to take advantage of new and advanced career opportunities across the state.”

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