October 14, 2024

In September, the first group of employees from a local aviation company completed training at the recently opened Mississippi Advanced Composites (MAC) Training Center at The Communiversity.

The MAC is the result of a partnership between East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State University’s Advanced Composites Institute, which moved some of their training equipment to The Communiversity. EMCC received a $1.5 million grant from AccelerateMS to purchase additional equipment.

Industries that utilize composites in manufacturing processes will be able to send employees to the training center. Aviation industries in the Golden Triangle area include Stark Aerospace, Aurora Flight Sciences and Airbus Helicopters.

Partners in the project include Northrop Grumman, Spirit Aerosystems, Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing company, and GE Aerospace, to name a few.

The inaugural group of students to undergo training at the facility was comprised of composite technicians who work for a local company that develops advanced materials in manufacturing process technologies used in the aviation industry.

Composites combine two or more substances to produce a strong, lightweight material often used in airplanes and helicopters to reduce weight and increase cargo capacity.

MSU received a grant to hire a trainer for the program, while EMCC received a grant to stand up the MAC. The Communiversity is looking to hire its own instructor for the program to assist when the trainer from MSU is not available.

“Right now, it is our local aviation industries that are interested in the program,” EMCC Workforce Services Director Joe Cook said. “Ultimately, the intent of the MAC training center is to provide training regionally. We have big manufacturers in the state producing components for solid rockets and others providing shields for jet engines, among other things. The idea was to create a training resource for all these industries in the state.”

EMCC previously offered composite training at The Communiversity in a limited capacity. Upgraded equipment at the MAC greatly expands those training opportunities. There is a need statewide for enhanced training, EMCC Workforce Business Outreach and Training Manager Carlton Ray Hollis said.

“Through the ecosystems that have been identified through AccelerateMS, aerospace and aviation was identified as one of the sectors in which there is an additional need for skilled workers and training opportunities,” Hollis said. “This training lab is going to help fill that gap.”

For now, training is limited to employees in the aviation and composites industries, but that could soon change.

“We are looking at opportunities in the very near future to provide training services to the public to prepare them for employment in these types of industries,” Hollis said.

The MAC provides training in composites and post-processing of the composites, which includes assembling aircraft components that meet stringent Federal Aviation Administration guidelines.

The lab is equipped with industrial-grade equipment not found outside of a manufacturing facility environment, such as a Gerber laser system for precision measuring and cutting, an autoclave for curing to commercial-grade standards, and a clean room that includes an air infiltration system and sticky floors.

 “The MAC will fill an industry need in the state while providing current and potentially future employees access to highly sought-after training,” Cook said. “This would not have been possible without the collaboration between EMCC and Mississippi State University and the support of state agencies, such as AccelerateMS.”