Siemens’ donation to aid community college students

Students studying advanced manufacturing in Connecticut’s community college system are benefiting from the donation of $315 million in manufacturing and product design software from German technology company Siemens.

The intial befeficiaries of Siemens’ product lifecycle management software will be students in the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centers at Three Rivers, Manchester, Asnuntuck and Gateway community colleges. Use of the software Siemens is making available will then be expanded to all of Connecticut’s 12 community colleges over the next 18 months.

Siemens’ software helps manufacturers design, develop and manufacture products in the aerospace, defense, heavy equipment, shipbuilding, medical devices, electronics and semiconductors industries.

Siemens has about 300 employees working in Connecticut, primarily in the company’s building technologies and health care businesses. The company’s Connecticut operations are spread across four locations: Brookfield, Norwalk, Cromwell and Manchester.

Mark Ojakian, president of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, said students will benefit from Siemens’ generosity.

“We are grateful for this in-kind grant from Siemens, which enhances the quality of the education experience our students receive,” Ojakian said in a statement. “Our advanced manufacturing centers are providing top quality education to Connecticut residents that prepares them for available, high wage careers in our state.”

Tony Hemmelgarn, president and chief executive officer of Siemens PLM Software, said the partnership between the company and the schools will allow Connecticut’s community college students “to gain realworld experience on the same software and technology that’s used by some of Connecticut’s most innovative companies.”

“With the fourth industrial revolution underway, manufacturing today is increasingly software-driven,” Hemmelgarn said in a statement. “By providing students with hands on experience in industrial design software, we can help empower the next generation of digital talent for success in Connecticut’s high-tech economy.”