Dr. Cortney Bolden, an engineering administrative instructor at Rowan College of South Jersey, displays a hexapod robot which is used by students in the Advanced Manufacturing program. 

Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ) utilized a nearly $400,000 funding award it received from the New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development to provide pathways for students to continue their education and to gain employment in the advanced manufacturing field.​

RCSJ received a $380,996 grant, last October, to participate in the third year of the New Jersey Pathways to Career Opportunities (NJ Pathways) initiative. 

According to njcommunitycolleges.org, NJ Pathways is a state funded program that “brings together employers, industry associations, labor unions, education institutions, and workforce development partners to provide students and workers with the education and career pathways they need to find new careers and opportunities to achieve a competitive wage, and to ensure that employers have access to a highly skilled workforce to meet critical labor market needs."

A valuable component to NJ Pathways is the collaborative partnerships taking place between New Jersey education institutions. RCSJ recently announced it will be the Lead Institution for the Center of Workforce Innovation for Manufacturing and Supply Chain Logistics as part of the NJ Pathways initiative. 

Partnering schools include, but are not limited to Camden County College, Sussex County Community College, Raritan Valley Community College, and Hudson County Community College. 

“Together, we will align our educational goals with the state of New Jersey's critical workforce needs, fulfilling the goals of this NJ Pathways to Career Opportunities Initiative," Dr. Fred Keating, president, RCSJ, said in a press release. “On behalf of RCSJ, I want to thank the partnering institutions for their leadership and innovation. I'm excited to see the transformative work this collaboration achieves."

The one-year financial award RCSJ received was distributed into two “Pathways Projects": 

• Center of Workforce Innovation for Renewable Energy: Workforce Plus Series: Renewable Energy and Offshore Wind (Hybrid)

• Center of Workforce Innovation for Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management: Advanced Manufacturing Stackable Degree
  

Dr. Cortney Bolden, engineering administrative instructor, RCSJ, called the NJ Pathways initiative a “blessing" for RCSJ. 

​“It's just providing [students] pathways to getting training, getting various degrees and certifications and to do it in … a more synergistic way," she said. “It helps traditional and non-traditional students including CTE (Career and Technical Education) students who want to continue their education." 

“[NJ Pathways] basically provided us funding for an advanced manufacturing stackable degree," Bolden, the director of the Mechatronics Innovation Learning Lab (MILL), added. “It also provided us with more materials and equipment to [upgrade] our student state-of-the-art training. It really puts us in a good place."

In an article authored by Bolden regarding stackable degrees, she wrote: “Stackable credentials refer to the ability to accumulate knowledge and skills gained through training, school or the workplace and apply them toward higher-level or adjacent credentials."

“What I like about it is it's not just on the academic side, it's [also] on the non-credit side, and it really provides a pathway for everybody because we don't have just traditional students," she said.

The grant also allowed RCSJ to provide scholarship money to 40 high school students interested in the advanced manufacturing field. 

“We're … working with four high schools, Millville, EHT (Egg Harbor Township), Gateway, Cumberland Regional," Bolden said. “We provided four boot camp courses, five-week courses, to introduce them to various elements of advanced manufacturing. They got a chance to use the CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machines. They got the chance to use the robot … that we recently purchased. 

“Because of this funding, [we] were able to place a CNC machine on the RCSJ–Gloucester campus and purchase a collaborative robot on the Gloucester campus as well. So, we're able to fully have all our programs on both campuses. This has really helped us out a lot." 

RCSJ is also collaborating with local vocational schools such as the Cumberland County Technical Education Center, in Vineland, and the Gloucester County Institute of Technology, in Deptford Twp., to enhance the program. 

“With the funding we have several partners. We have Salem Community College and another is Rowan University," Bolden said. “[Rowan University] is also creating an advanced manufacturing bachelor's degree so that we can stack. We created it with [the] University so that [students] can have … a direct path to a bachelor's degree without any issues." 

Bolden noted advanced manufacturing is a field that provides numerous opportunities for employment. Along with becoming manufacturing engineers, students have options to become machinists, manufacturing technicians, robotic technicians, and mechatronic technicians. 

“They also have the opportunity to become automation technicians and designers," she said. “We realize manufacturing has been around forever. The difference is now we're creating [products] in a more advanced, innovative way. Now, we're using robots to help us create products. Now we're using automation to help us create products. We're using different materials … that haven't been used before." ​

Besides the benefits the grant provides for RCSJ and its students, Bolden said the advanced manufacturing program is beneficial to local businesses, as well. 

​“We're becoming a premier advanced manufacturing institution, so this program will essentially help the greater community," she said. “The equipment we have is based on the current market, but it's also based on what our local employers say they need. 

“Here in South Jersey, especially in Cumberland County, there are so many manufacturing companies, and … our goal is to make sure we prepare our students to work for those companies."

For information about Rowan College of South Jersey programs, visit RCSJ.edu/Degrees. ​

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