Harford Community College Named 2022 Champion of Maryland Manufacturing

Regional Manufacturing Institute of Maryland (RMI) has named Harford Community College a 2022 Champion of Maryland Manufacturing in the Community Engagement category. 2022 Champions will be recognized at the Maryland Manufacturing Celebration at Martin’s West on November 17.

The recently launched 2022 Champions program highlights successes in Maryland’s manufacturing sector including Champions in business, education, government, and the community. Through this program, an individual, company, organization, agency or academic/training entity may be recognized for their exemplary manufacturing-related efforts in any one of the following seven areas: Innovation, Workforce, Women in Manufacturing, Diversity & Inclusion, Community Engagement, Energy Efficiency & Sustainability, or International Trade: Import/Export.

Individuals with noteworthy stories of innovation, visionary leadership, workforce attraction/retention/training, diversity/inclusiveness, community goodwill/social impact in the community, and/or international trade success efforts associated in some way with the manufacturing industry in 2021-2022 could submit up to three stories for possible inclusion in the Champions of Maryland Manufacturing Directory.

David Antol, Coordinator of Engineering Technology at Harford Community College, presented information about the College’s program at a RAMP MD meeting. (RAMP MD is a regional consortium of local Additive Manufacturers who meet regularly to advance the technology.) After the presentation, Dr. Michael Galiazzo, RMI President, encouraged Antol to submit a story about the College to RMI’s Champions program.

Antol said, “It was obvious that the Leveling UP concept was getting everyone’s attention during the presentation. Knowledge is the given, but those durable skills are what industry is seeking nationwide. It’s exciting for the program to get the attention and recognition.  What’s exciting for the College is Leveling UP can be applied across disciplines.” The concept is described in further detail below.

Champions inspire others through their remarkable stories of success and deserve recognition. RMI has collected and showcased their stories online, including the one about Harford, in its Champions of Maryland Manufacturing Directory. Stories will be online through December 2023. Harford’s entry is reprinted with permission below:

Harford Community College is attempting to teach more than 3D Printing. A small cohort (5 students) is progressing through the new Additive Manufacturing Certificate Program that focuses on various 3D printing skills and technology; however, the jewel of the program may be the “Leveling UP” component of the Capstone course (ENGT 230 - includes an internship, mentoring, and classroom components).

The “Leveling UP” program starts with a student placed in an internship with an industry partner. The partner provides a supervisor and a mentor for the student. Harford provides training/professional development to the mentor, free of charge, allowing the industry partner to help grow their internal workforce.

The student works with their mentor to develop and strengthen their durable skills. The assessed durable skills are based on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Competencies. They include skills of self-agency, thinking critically, and decision-making, and are reinforced using guided self-assessment and self-adjustment. These durable skills will stay with the students throughout their careers.

The goal of the course is to provide the student with the opportunity to “level up” to become an exceptional employee. The College’s Additive Manufacturing Certificate Program is a five-course (15 credits) certificate. It is a stackable credential within the A.A.S. degree program in Engineering Technology with an Area of Concentration in Additive Manufacturing and was funded through a National Science Foundation ATE grant. David Antol (Coordinator of Applied Technology, Harford Community College) is the Principal Investigator, and Anna Berglowe-Lynch (Coordinator of Career Services, Harford Community College) is the Co-Principal Investigator.

The curriculum was developed by subject matter experts from local industry, who will also serve as adjunct professors. Clene Nanomedicine (North East, MD), an R&D and manufacturing facility, is Harford’s industry partner for the pilot offering of the Leveling UP program.