FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2003
CONTACT: Roland Ruiz, St. Philip's College Director of Community and Public Relations
210.531.4851

ACCD ANNOUNCES NEW MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY ACADEMY

The Alamo Community College District (ACCD) is partnering with the City of San Antonio, area school districts, and the San Antonio Manufacturers Association (SAMA) to create a Manufacturing Technology Academy to attract and train high school students for careers in the manufacturing industry. The partnership initiative was announced today at St. Philip's College Southwest Campus, where the new Academy will be housed and begin serving students in fall 2004.

The Manufacturing Technology Academy (MTA) becomes the third workforce-training academy operated by the ACCD in collaboration with local governmental agencies and industry partners. The others include the Alamo Area Aerospace Academy, which opened in 2001, and the Information Technology Security Academy that opened in 2002.

Partners include the ACCD, the City of San Antonio, Alamo Workforce Development (AWD), the Greater Kelly Development Authority (GKDA), San Antonio Manufacturers Association the Manufacturing Technology Industry Partners (MIP), and San Antonio area school districts that may choose to participate in the program.

"The San Antonio Manufacturers Association appreciates and recognizes the extensive effort put forth by our community to create the Manufacturing Technology Academy," said Don Kenton of Dynatech Turbine Services. "The MTA will address the critical need of the regional manufacturing industry to find competent people possessing the technical skills necessary for today's manufacturing activities. The members of SAMA intend to fully support and promote the new academy."

The MTA will serve as a two-year training and apprenticeship program that introduces high school students to career opportunities in the manufacturing industry while providing a seamless transition from high school to community college to the workplace.

The program will be available to qualified San Antonio area high school juniors and seniors through dual credit partnerships with their home high schools. In its first year however, the MTA will be open only to students entering their junior year.

To learn more about the program, students should call (210) 932-5756. Applicants to the program will be notified of their enrollment status by Aug. 1, 2004. Manufacturers or businesses relying on industrial processing that are interested in the MTA program should call the SAMA office at (210) 821-5466.

The MTA will offer a curriculum that enables students to explore specific career paths and acquire unique skills through hands-on learning experiences in an effort to help them make an informed career decision. In addition to classroom instruction that can lead to college credit, the Academy also will offer students mentoring and job shadowing opportunities as well as summer internships. All MTA students will continue to maintain residency in their home high schools and retain their University Interscholastic League (UIL) eligibility, class standing, and TAKS accountability while enrolled in the Academy.