Published: August 08, 2008 12:18 am         

Eastern offers degree in electromechanical technology

MOOREFIELD — As registration for the fall semester continues in full swing, a local community college is enrolling area students in a brand-new associate degree learning program designed to prepare them for career opportunities in the growing field of Electromechanical Technology.

“Businesses and industries are always looking to shave costs,” said Larry Bloom, academic program director for Industrial Technologies at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College. “And one way to do that is to increase automation in all of their processes. So to keep all of that sophisticated machinery humming, they will need knowledgeable workers trained in the technology of electrical service and repair.”

Building on its electromechanical technology skill set courses launched last spring, Eastern’s new two-year degree program provides instruction in, and practical application of, technical concepts and practices in electricity, electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics, industrial controls, electrical systems and automated systems.

Graduates will earn an associate in applied science degree in electromechanical technology, Bloom said, and they will know how to assemble, install, calibrate, troubleshoot, service and repair equipment and system components used in plant maintenance, computer systems, programmable logic control, technical service and sales, instrumentation, and research and development. “They enter the workforce at the technician level.”

Electromechanical technicians who work in the Cumberland, Md., and nearby West Virginia counties earn a yearly salary of more than $40,000, according to 2006 figures from the government’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. “That’s about $4,000 per year better than the average statewide pay in those jobs,” Bloom said. And nationally, trained workers in the field average even more, he said.

This year’s edition of the bureau’s ‘Occupational Outlook Handbook’ also affirms that workers with an associate degree in the field will enjoy competitive advantages in the job market.

Eastern’s four-semester program counts for 66 to 68 hours of college credit, and offers students two area of emphasis options: Electronic Communications and/or Industrial Maintenance. “Completion of only one of the emphases is required for the degree,” Bloom said, “but our learners may wish to prepare themselves in both areas.”

The industrial maintenance option provides students with additional knowledge and skills to perform maintenance in an industrial setting, while the electronic communications option includes a deeper preparation in the principles and applications of analog and digital electronic communications.

Thirteen area business and organizations, including manufacturers, processors, high-tech and utility firms, hospitals and school systems, wrote letters in support of Eastern’s application for a technical development grant that funds the program’s equipment, software and instructors.

“Just as oxygen pumping through our bodies fuels our daily lives, electricity pulsing through every sphere of human activity powers our daily world,” Bloom said. “And all of these local employers told the state that we need this program in the Potomac Highlands,” he said, “because to keep their businesses running, they need employees with this kind of training and knowledge.”

For more information about Eastern’s program in electromechanical technology, financial aid opportunities, additional programs of study and Workforce Education, call 434-8000, or toll free: (877) 982-2322. Or check the college’s Web site: www.eastern.wvnet.edu.