El Camino College has received a grant from the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to support California’s defense innovation and manufacturing ecosystem through training and workforce development. Grant funding comes from the DOD Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program that is designed to strengthen the national security innovation base. California is one of six designated Defense Manufacturing Communities.
El Camino College was awarded the grant because of its expertise in smart manufacturing (SM), which is defined as “the fully integrated, collaborative manufacturing systems that respond in real time to meet changing demands and conditions in the smart factory, in the supply network, and in customer needs.”
When implemented, smart manufacturing leverages a combination of various technologies like 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data to drive manufacturing performance, increase quality, reduce cost and scrap, improve reliability and agility. With this grant, El Camino College will support small businesses in the California defense industrial base to adopt SM technologies/methodologies with the following services:
- Provide webinars and workshops that help showcase the value and benefits of adopting Smart Manufacturing
- Offer customized training solutions to upskill existing defense workers in areas like 5G, AI and other transformative Industry 4.0 technologies
- Offer physical demonstrations to show best practices in SM hardware/software at locations in Santa Clara and Torrance, CA.
- Provide a referral program for hardware/software vendors and technical assistance providers.
To expand the delivery of these services to defense contractors and manufacturers statewide, El Camino College will leverage the UpSkill California Collaborative, a consortium of 30 community colleges that share extensive resources and expertise—including the world’s largest body of workplace-specific curriculum—to deliver critical training solution to businesses.
The California Advanced Defense Ecosystems & National Consortia Effort (CADENCE)
The California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research was awarded $4.9 million in DOD funding to to facilitate CADENCE, a program created to enhance defense manufacturing in the state, particularly in the areas of microelectronics, 5G, and space. The state funding awarded to El Camino College by the Governor’s Office positions the college to be a key player in the in the implementation of CADENCE and a strategic resource for smart manufacturing training in the state.
For more information on upcoming smart manufacturing training programs at El Camino College, please contact:
Jose Anaya
Dean, Community Advancement & Business Training Center
El Camino College
Email: [email protected]