After a 6 million dollar contribution by Measure B voters to Chabot College, renovations are nearly wrapping up for Applied Technology division classrooms. And while fixes in Building 1400 are still a bit far from being complete, instructor Ashley Long is already reaping the rewards of a brand new classroom. He teaches the advanced level machining courses that deal with the 3d manufacturing with metal, but up until this past summer his classes were still being taught in the crowded machining areas of building 1400 where half his class would have to sit behind machinery unable to even see half of his class.
But after being a month overdue, Long’s new classroom is as state-of-the-art as it gets.
“I couldn’t see anybody, when I would sit down I couldn’t see any of the students, and they couldn’t see me. Now with me in the back here, I could look while I talk to them and have them follow along on the screen,” says Long while describing his old classroom in building 1400. “It’s turned out really great, better than I could hope for.”
Located in the back of the 1600 building, the new machining classrooms have some of the latest in manufacturing industry technology available and in use around major companies in the western United States. The newest addition to the arsenal of tools is a several hundred thousand dollar lathe that is able to use all three dimensions of movement to carve and construct complex pieces of metal. To compliment the added hardware, brand new computers loaded with new CAD software is being used to teach students on the programming methods needed to accurately carve out blocks of meal into new parts, such as a head gasket.
The real world application, says Long, has lead to a high rate of success for students in the manufacturing industry and he often gets calls from local companies seeking new employees.
“I had an alum student come in the other night, at the place where he works at they have 11 of our previous students working and they’re looking for a couple more. So he comes in ….and he looks around and says ‘Hey this is great! I may have to take another couple classes!” says Long.
According to Applied Technology and Business Dean Tom Clark, the renovations for the division’s class areas have totaled up to 5 million, with another 1.4 million already committed to further improvements. The newer equipment in the machining classrooms had been financially secured over the past five years and offer the most current standards in tooling.