COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense is helping Tennessee Tech University’s Department of Manufacturing and Engineering Technology build the future of American manufacturing one metal pour at a time.
The university recently completed its first week-long metal casting bootcamp as part of a broader workforce development initiative funded by the DoD through the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI)-The Composites Institute.
Fifteen participants – including Tennessee Tech students and a University of Tennessee at Chattanooga professor – received intensive training is casting, forging, design and quality inspection processes.
“This is about workforce development. We’re giving participants hands-on experience in high-demand fields, and the certification they will earn upon completion of the bootcamp is a credential they can be proud to put on their resumes,” said Ismail Fidan, professor of Manufacturing and Engineering Technology at Tech and principal investigator for the grant.
That certification is from Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship and Learning (METAL), and it demonstrates that each participant has gained both technical knowledge and practical skills, qualities employers in advanced manufacturing are actively seeking. Led by AICMI and funded by the DoD’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, METAL equips learners of all stages with knowledge and skills needed in critical areas like casting, forging and plate rolling.
The bootcamp kicked off with a demonstration by the participants using a “foundry in a box” setup for high schoolers attending a campus engineering summer camp.
That demonstration was both beneficial to introduce metal casting to a younger audience and to provide a warm-up for the students and professionals participating in the bootcamp, Fidan said.
“It helped spark early interest in metallurgy for the high schoolers while showcasing the practical application provided by our program,” he added.
Sainand Jadhav, the UT Chattanooga professor, said it was especially beneficial for him because it provided him with ideas for offering metal casting and forging demonstrations in his own classroom.
Fred Vondra, center, assists participants at Tennessee Tech’s recent metal casting bootcamp. Sainand Jadhav, left, a professor at UT Chattanooga, said he attended the bootcamp to keep his knowledge and experience up to date.
For the Tech students participating in the bootcamp, the timing was ideal. They said they participated to maintain their skills during the summer between two metal casting courses, one offered in the spring and the next that will be offered in the fall.
“Not only do the students receive an additional certification, but by participating in the bootcamp, it allows them to keep practicing without the pressure of a grade, which really supports confidence and skill retention,” Fidan explained.
More bootcamps are planned for late summer and fall, with the next one set for the week of Aug. 11. Fidan emphasized that the sessions are ideal not only for college students and professors, but also for people working in the industry to gain additional skill and certification.
Fred Vondra, chairperson of Manufacturing and Engineering Technology at Tech, participated alongside Fidan, offering support and encouragement to the participants throughout the week.
“The federal government is placing a renewed emphasis on American-made manufacturing, and that includes building the workforce to support it. That’s what this grant helps our department to do,” he said.
“This administration is serious about rebuilding American supply chains and reducing offshoring, and by investing in training and education in forging and metal casting, we can build a pipeline of talent ready to step into these crucial roles,” Vondra concluded.
For more information about future bootcamps, email Ismail Fidan at
ifidan@tntech.edu.
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Contributed By: Tracey Hackett
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