OAMTC expands orthopedic manufacturing curriculum

Individuals seeking advanced manufacturing skills development have a new choice:

the Orthopedic Quality Standards and Technical Skills Certificate Program. Ivy Tech Community College Orthopedic and Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (OAMTC) offers the new program. Student orientation officially launches the program on February 13, 2012.
“The newly expanded OAMTC curriculum is the direct result of cooperation between orthopedic industry leaders, OrthoWorx and Ivy Tech Community College. It is centered around enhancing talent and workforce development for a more qualified workforce,” states Tim Meyer, Chair, OrthoWorx Advanced Manufacturing Committee.

Meyer adds, “The industry representatives of the Advanced Manufacturing Committee were key to helping identify educational gaps and providing input to address those gaps. Ivy Tech was responsive and receptive in translating that valuable input into this new certificate program.”

The program is designed to meet the growing professional and technical needs of the orthopedic device industry, according to Jean Perrin, Executive Director, Ivy Tech Corporate College. It incorporates applied learning for students to develop technical and soft skills within rigorous hands-on CNC machine operations.

The program has two primary topical focuses: lean manufacturing and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quality standards.

The OAMTC has made significant progress in simulating a lean environment, under the leadership of Robert Marsh, Department Chair, School of Technology. This serves to align the program with leading advanced manufacturing companies in the Warsaw area.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quality standards part of the program was identified as a crucial component to align with industry. This reflects today’s advanced manufacturing environment. The orthopedic device industry is governed by the FDA.

At the completion of the certificate program, students will participate in a mini Kaizen event. “A Kaizen event is part of a continuous improvement process. In a production environment, it assists work teams to continuously improve processes for a more efficient production process. In the class, it will introduce students to continuous improvement in an applied fashion and also assist Ivy Tech to continuously improve course content and presentation,” states Perrin.

Registration for the Orthopedic Quality Standards and Technical Skills Certificate Program remains open. The program is offered at two different times, or sessions (9 a.m. – 1 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. –  9:30 p.m.). Both sessions are nearly full, and registration will close when capacity is reached.

Ivy Tech Community College is filling its pipeline with qualified instructors for OAMTC advanced manufacturing programs. Orthopedic industry professionals interested in serving as instructors are encouraged to visit the Ivy Tech website.