What is the best way to expose students to many different facets of modern advanced manufacturing, while allowing instructors the flexibility to encourage student exploration of specific areas they’re excited about?
Amatrol created IGNITE: Mastering Manufacturing to provide high school students with career exploration opportunities and the in-depth technical knowledge and hands-on skills they need to be successful in the highly-skilled, high-pay jobs available in modern advanced manufacturing facilities.
As interest in IGNITE continues to grow, we — and Amatrol — have heard a few common questions from educators. Here are a few answers to those questions.
1. Can the IGNITE Program Be Built Slowly Over Time?
Designed around project-based learning, the IGNITE program consists of six one-semester courses in a modular format that allows schools to roll out IGNITE as a one-, two-, or three-year program:
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- Course 1: Introduction to Advanced Manufacturing
- Course 2: Introduction to Systems
- Course 3: Mechatronic Systems
- Course 4: Digital Manufacturing Systems
- Course 5: Advanced Materials & Design
- Course 6: IIoT, Data Analytics, & Networking
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We know building an advanced manufacturing training program from the ground up can seem like a daunting task. That’s why we made it easy to get started with IGNITE. Its flexible, modular format lets you take that first step with confidence, knowing that the experts at Amatrol will be there to help you strategize and plan every step of the way.
For example, a school already using Amatrol’s AC/DC Electrical Learning System (T7017A) to teach basic electricity can easily use that system as a foundation to build upon to start a new IGNITE program. As time and funding allows, additional courses can be added until your goals are achieved.
2. What Type of Instructor Is Needed To Teach IGNITE?
Given the comprehensive scope of the IGNITE program, it’s natural to wonder whether an instructor with particular qualifications is required to oversee the program. Rest assured, though, that IGNITE was designed with the flexibility and instructor resources necessary to enable any instructor qualified to teach career and technical education (CTE) classes to run the program.
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For example, the Instructor’s Guide for each IGNITE course contains a flow chart that serves as a guide for how each course can be structured. This guidance will prove invaluable to instructors as they plan their preferred route through the material.
With so many topics to cover and tools to use, instructors also need freedom to make the program serve their students. That’s why we designed IGNITE to include a variety of instructional groupings, including group blocks, pod rotations, mini projects, and field trips. This structure allows instructors to assign eLearning topics to individual students for self-directed study while other students work in groups on pod rotations and mini projects.
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As you begin to build your IGNITE program, you can also plan to send instructors to the Amatrol Technical Training Institute (ATTI) in Jeffersonville, Indiana, for instructor training specifically for the IGNITE program. ATTI-trained instructors will leave with the skills and confidence to kick off a successful IGNITE program in their schools.
3. Does IGNITE Teach More Than Just Technical Skills?
4. Does IGNITE Align with Industry-Standard Certifications?
5. How Can Local Industry Play a Role in the IGNITE Program?
To learn more about the answers to these questions, read more on the Amatrol blog here.
You can also see the training system in action here:
