Ann Arbor SPARK, WCC celebrate first Michigan grads of manufacturing education program

Five students have made history as Michigan's first graduates of the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) program. The national program trains advanced manufacturing technicians by combining classroom learning with paid experience at a sponsoring employer. With support from Washtenaw Community College (WCC), Ann Arbor SPARK, and other members of the FAME Mitten Chapter, the inaugural cohort is leaving the program with two years of work experience, degrees, and job offers. 

"There's been a lot of celebration. From SPARK's perspective, the whole program embodies everything that we are focused on," says Melissa Sheldon, director of research at Ann Arbor SPARK. "We want to help accelerate growth for companies, and we want them to expand operations here locally, and talent is such a big part of that."

She's excited that FAME is resonating with students, who attend classes at WCC two times a week. This fall the program will have 15 students – the largest cohort so far.

"I think that what's attractive is the opportunity to work while they're going to school and get paid and potentially come out debt-free," Sheldon says. "That has moved from a concept that we're just talking about to reality. We've got individuals that can speak about that and how it's really transformed their lives and their career trajectories."

She says FAME students are held to higher standards than typical students. Their attendance policies are very strict and they must maintain minimum grades that are higher than traditional students. 

"It really is producing that 'global best talent,'" she says. 

Enthusiasm from employers is also taking off. Twelve students in the upcoming FAME cohort have already secured employer sponsorship, and Sheldon would like other companies to take interest. She explains that as the first and only FAME chapter in Michigan, local employers previously could only refer to success stories from FAME chapters elsewhere in the country.

"Now we've got some local employers just kind of like singing from the rooftops about how fantastic the program is, and what exceptional employees it's creating," Sheldon says. "The skills that students have and the value that they're adding in the workplace, it's really driving interest."

Looking forward, Sheldon says it's possible that the program will be expanded to meet employers' needs. Currently, there are only 16 spots for students. 

"The way that we can help a lot of these companies is by helping connect them to the talent that they need," she says. "We can help in building that sustainable talent pipeline so that they can stay here and not have to look for talent in other regions. And that certainly benefits our community."