Gateway Tech gets set for Foxconn
New programs designed to train future workers for electronics plant, other tech manufacturers
Gateway Technical College in Kenosha is finalizing two new degree programs to train workers for the massive Foxconn electronics manufacturing complex planned for nearby Mount Pleasant.
The associate’s degree programs — eventually there could be four new, two-year degrees — would also be feeders for other area manufacturing companies investing in the so-called industrial internet of things, once described by The New York Times as “bringing the digital magic of the internet economy to the machines that run the world” to make manufacturing “smarter” and more efficient.
“Of course, companies like Foxconn, InSinkErator, Amazon, Ke-
nall are leading the way, but every other employer is keenly aware of the technological advances of the manufacturing sector,” Gateway Technical College President and Chief Executive Officer Bryan Albrecht told the Journal Sentinel.
“You’re moving people and upscaling their skills, not eliminating jobs,” said Raymond Koukari Jr., dean of manufacturing, engineering and information technology at Gateway.
“You eliminate a lot of repetitive motion stuff; what robots are good at,” Koukari said. “You still have to have people who can read a blueprint on robotics, know fluids, electronics and IT.”
The Wisconsin Technical College System Board — which approves all new degree programs for the state’s technical colleges — took the first step Wednesday on the concept for the first two new programs. The college next will complete the curriculum through a collaborative process with other state technical colleges and universities aimed at avoiding duplication and strengthening what’s already offered by sister colleges, Albrecht said.
Final approval could come in May. Other state technical colleges are considering adding similar programs.
Foxconn signed an offer of program support for the Wisconsin Technical College System in January. That offer says Gateway will be “a strategic partner” in establishing a talent pipeline for ongoing employment needs.
The first two programs would be advanced manufacturing technology and supply chain management.
The first four courses of the advanced manufacturing technology degree would be offered through Kenosha-area high schools starting this fall so students could get a head start on earning the degree, and ultimately, a good-paying job.
The advanced manufacturing program would train industrial and manufacturing technicians with skills in robotics, industrial control systems and the internet of things. The estimated salary for those jobs is $17.33 an hour, or $36,000 annually, according to the background information.
The supply chain management program would train analysts with skills in supply chain operations, inventory control, operations management, purchasing, global business and logistics management — jobs that start at roughly $19.50 an hour, or about $40,000 a year, according to background information provided to the technical college board.
Foxconn said it expects to hire 51 employees with advanced manufacturing degrees in its first year in production, another 90 employees by its third year and 95 more by its fifth year. It expects to hire 21 employees with supply chain management skills by its third year and another 25 by the fifth year, according to the signed offer.
Foxconn said it is committed to working with Gateway and its educational partners to develop standards for new programs in data analytics and security infrastructure, in addition to advanced manufacturing-robotics and supply chain management.
The data analytics and security infrastructure programs would be developed in the near future.
The SC Johnson iMET Center in Sturtevant, where the advanced manufacturing program is to be based, will double in size as part of the training expansion. About $800,000 in new equipment is budgeted as part of the college’s equipment and program improvement plan, Albrecht said.
Foxconn says it will provide internships, in addition to job placement.
Foxconn’s offer does not promise jobs to Gateway graduates but says graduates of Gateway or similar programs at Gateway’s partner technical colleges “will be considered as candidates for hire.”
Foxconn anticipates needing advanced manufacturing technicians with knowledge and skills in automation of manufacturing systems/mechatronics, robotics, industrial control systems and the internet of things, for example.
“Internet of things” refers to consumer devices that communicate with each other.
Applying that concept to industrial machinery is the basis for the industrial internet of things — any piece of equipment with a sensor for computer interface.
Examples include computer numerical controlled mills and lathes, industrial robots, presses and pumps. The interface collects data and can, through analytics, provide workers with information to predict maintenance, monitor equipment performance, adjust processes and set parameters for improved efficiencies, Albrecht, the Gateway president, said.
It’s all about “smart manufacturing,” he said. “The machines are smart, making the manufacturing process more efficient, resistant to failure and adaptable to product requirement changes — all through the collection and analysis of data.”