Leaning in to manufacturing processes for student success
BCTC Advanced Manufacturing Center - Bluegrass Community and Technical College
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The ability to hire skilled, work-ready employees is an important factor in attracting manufacturers to Kentucky. And what better place to learn those skills than in a facility designed for real work? The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) has several advanced manufacturing training facilities around the state, designed in collaboration with nearby manufacturers to meet their hiring needs. In Georgetown, Kentucky, home to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK), KCTCS wanted a training facility to prepare potential Toyota employees and other future manufacturing professionals.
We met with Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTS) representatives and TMMK officials to design the Bluegrass CTC Advanced Manufacturing Center in Georgetown. Our task was to emulate a real-world plant floor to acclimate students to the environments they will encounter after graduation. The new facility needed to be spacious and flexible to accommodate the frequent changes in manufacturing technologies.
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The standout design feature in the Advanced Manufacturing Center is the central open bays that create a merged classroom and hands-on training environment for specific skill focused education. These bays maximize adaptability for future changes in use and services that are continues in the manufacturing arena. Courses in open areas include troubleshooting, robotics, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), industrial electricity, motor controls, alternative energy, CAD/CAM, and fluid power. Many of these courses are critical for training employees and interns for TMMK and other regional manufacturers. Other courses include industrial electronics and maintenance, machine structure/mechanical drives/pumps and rigging, machine tool and die, welding, and metallurgy. The facility also features support spaces for student services, a learning resource center, and a student lounge that are designed to create a sense of place for this regional manufacturing education hub.
The Advanced Manufacturing Center incorporates numerous sustainable design elements recognized by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), including stormwater management, natural daylighting, ample green space, water-efficient fixtures, regional and recycled building materials, and HVAC systems to promote energy efficiency as well as optimal indoor air quality.
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