COSTA MESA : OCC Picked to Create a Technology Center

Orange Coast College has been chosen by the state chancellor’s office in Sacramento as one of eight community colleges to establish a Center for Applied Competitive Technologies.

The program is intended to provide technical assistance to small- and medium-sized manufacturers in the area. Classes will be open to Orange Coast College students and to local manufacturing employees, who will study the use of new equipment, including computer drafting and robotics.

The selection carries with it a $90,000 grant, which will be matched by the college, federal funds and private donors, said Richard A. Chard, associate dean for vocational education. Orange Coast College will continue to receive the state grant for three years.

“American manufacturers have lost their competitive edge in recent years--not because of a lack of technological tools--because workers and managers have not been adequately trained in using new technology,” Chard said.

“We’re trying to offer our center as an avenue for upward efficiency for people who are involved in these smaller manufacturing firms.”

The state, in an effort to catch up with a national effort to improve the quality of U.S. products, will name an additional eight California colleges to offer this service in the fall.