PFLUGERVILLE MANUFACTURING ACADEMY ANNOUNCES FIRST GRADUATING CLASS

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (March 8, 2021) — The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC) along with workforce development partners, Austin Community College (ACC), and Workforce Solutions Capital Area (WFSCA) announced today that the first class has graduated from the Pflugerville Manufacturing Academy Program having completed a 3D Training Course designed to provide an overview of additive manufacturing and training on state-of-the-art equipment owned by local Pflugerville manufacturers. 

The five students enrolled in the inaugural class completed 40-hours of training on March 3, 2021, and were presented with their certificates during a virtual graduation ceremony on Friday, March 5, 2021. Curriculum and training for the course were provided by Austin Community College (ACC) in partnership with the PCDC and local Pflugerville additive manufacturing companies. 

“The Pflugerville Manufacturing Academy was designed as a response to the pandemic to provide unemployed and underemployed residents with opportunities to explore new careers and opportunities in manufacturing. This first training class focuses on additive manufacturing, also known as 3D Printing, and is designed to provide pathways into this exciting and fast-growth industry,” said Amy Madison, “With the assistance from Cumberland Additive, EOS of North America, and Essentium, Inc., Austin Community College was able to develop and deliver an excellent program for these students.” 

The Pflugerville Manufacturing Academy Program began to take shape in the spring of 2020 during weekly virtual discussions hosted by the PCDC with Pflugerville local manufacturers to learn how to best support their need for a trained workforce. The PCDC partnered with 

Workforce Solutions Capital Area through the Texas Workforce Commission High Demand Job Training grant program and together, the organizations are providing up to $300,000 to fund curriculum development, training, equipment, and supplies for 120 students this year. 

“ACC was excited about partnering with the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation,” said ACC Advanced Manufacturing Department Chair, Laura Marmolejo, Ph.D. “Exposing more people to the great employment opportunities in the Central Texas Manufacturing Industry is very important and partnering with businesses and community organizations is the most effective way to connect students to high demand jobs.” 

Students spend 20 hours in a virtual classroom and 20 hours in a local additive manufacturing facility to be introduced to additive manufacturing, learn tool setup, operation, and equipment maintenance. The first class was hosted onsite by Cumberland Additive, Inc. All future onsite training will be rotated between the participating manufacturers Cumberland Additive Inc., EOS of North America, and Essentium. 

The free 40-hour training program offers a small classroom size for maximum training on the equipment and meets all necessary requirements for COVID-19. The Pflugerville Manufacturing Academy will begin the second class on March 8, 2021, and is currently enrolling for the third class which will begin March 22, 2021. 

For more information and to enroll in future classes at the Pflugerville Manufacturing Academy, visit www.pfdevelopment.com/3DAcademy. 

View the PDF version of the release HERE.