Construction of a 25,000-square-foot training center in La Vergne, Tennessee, near Nashville, is complete. The next step is installing training equipment, and a grand opening is slated for May.
The new training center replaces a 7,000-square-foot facility with 5,000 square feet of training space. By contrast, the new building consists of 20,000 square feet of training space and 5,000 square feet of office and administrative areas.
Training equipment will include:
- Two robot stations (will provide prerequisite training for the UBC mechatronics course and prep for automotive-plant work);
- A conveyor prop for training on floor conveyor and power and free monorail systems used in many manufacturing processes such as automotive and food and beverage;
- A computer room to do NANTeL training for nuclear power plants; and
- Eight Clean Air welding booths with new welders.
Training will target skills needed on jobsites in the middle and western regions of the state. Millwright coursework will cover compressors and pumps, conveyors, gas and steam turbines, machinery alignment, welding, and mechanical print reading.
Once classes begin at the new site, rigging qualifications will be handled locally and more welding certifications will be granted locally as well, said Rickey Moore, executive director of the Mid-South Carpenters Regional Council Training Trust Fund. At the current training center, welding tests can’t be conducted when classes are underway due to space constraints.
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