Skip to main content
Around Kirkwood

Kirkwood’s Rolls Out High-Tech Program This Fall

By July 12, 2013January 9th, 2019No Comments

Students check out Kirkwood’s Automation and Instrumentation Technologies program.

Automation and Instrumentation Technologies ushers in new manufacturing era

The future of industry is here.

Increasingly, factories and manufacturers rely on automated processes, necessary to build Creative Corridor companies’ efficiency, control and high output to compete locally, nationally and even globally.

This fall, Kirkwood is rolling out the Automation and Instrumentation Technologies program, aimed at helping students earn great careers in industrial automation and process control. Using industry-guided curriculum combined with practical hands-on labs, students gain experience using programmable logic controllers, variable frequency drives, mechatronics, automated manufacturing and material handling systems, and process control/analytical instrumentation.

“Daily, companies need to come up with practical solutions to optimize throughput and efficiency without sacrificing quality,” said Ben Foley, one of the instructors in the new program. “Today, a lot of these solutions include automation and instrumentation technologies. To leverage these technologies to the fullest, you need personnel qualified to install, troubleshoot, maintain and optimize them. This program is designed to help students gain a good understanding of a variety of technologies, processes and solutions, and provide them a solid foundation to build on after they graduate.”

Automation and Instrumentation Technologies accepted its first students for Fall 2013 semester. The program is two years in length and students graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree. Using practical scaled-down labs, students will learn more quickly yet at the same time establish a better understanding of the curriculum. Students use the same industrial-rated equipment they will encounter in the field.

“A major concern within manufacturing today is the lack of skilled individuals available within the automation and instrumentation fields,” said Lonny Goodwin of Emerson Process Management, a diversified global manufacturing and technology company based out of Minnesota with a location in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “This demand will only increase due to the number of individuals approaching retirement age. Kirkwood is on the right path with their new curriculum.”

Program content was developed with thoughtful guidance from an advisory committee made up of industry professionals, and is based on the Automation Federation’s Automation Competency Model framework.

“Finding qualified graduates for the automation industry can be challenging, especially when looking locally,” said Heidi Strohman, director of recruiting, ESCO Group, a plant automation, electrical construction, power engineering, professional recruiting and safety training company with locations across Iowa. “At ESCO Automation, we feel so fortunate to have a healthy growth plan to fulfill in the next three to five years, and are excited to have Kirkwood as a new resource for finding well-trained employees. The Automation and Instrumentation Technologies program at Kirkwood will produce the talent that we will be looking for to fulfill our needs and help us serve our clients in the best way possible.”

For more information about Kirkwood’s Automation and Instrumentation Technologies program, go to www.kirkwood.edu/programs.