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Calhoun to Host Duo FAME and EPIC Information Sessions

January 17, 2020

Calhoun Community College will host two information sessions for its Alabama FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) program and the EPIC (Excellence in Process Industrial Controls) program during the Spring 2020 Preview Night event. The first session will be held on Tuesday, January 21 from 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Foyer, Sparkman building, on the Huntsville campus. The second session is on Thursday, January 23 from 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. in the Aerospace Training Center on the Decatur campus. This event is free to the public, but registration is required.

The FAME and EPIC programs are ideal for students who have a high interest in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) field. For those who have participated in activities such as the Best Robotics Competition or Project Lead the Way, FAME would be a great option. EPIC is more suitable for those students interested in pursuing a career in the chemical manufacturing industry. Students applying to either program must test into credit-bearing math and English courses based on their ACT or Accuplacer score.

“Approximately 60 students are selected each year to be a part of these exclusive and highly competitive programs,” commented John Holley, Calhoun’s Dean of Technologies. Upon being accepted and enrolled in the program, students begin working with their sponsor company during the summer prior to beginning coursework in the fall. Starting wages are very competitive and students have the potential to receive performance-based raises and bonuses throughout the program. While not guaranteed, there is an option for sponsor companies to hire students upon graduation. According to Terry Patterson, Calhoun’s Coordinator for Collaborative Advanced Manufacturing Programs, “Some of the sponsor companies include Asahi Kasei, Brown Precision, Bruderer Machinery, CerroWire, EFi Automotive, GE Appliances, Mazda Toyota, Packaging Corporation of

America, Plasma Processes, Polaris, Remington, Shape Corp, Snap-on Tools, Sonoco, Toyota and Westrock.”

The program boasts a 100% in-field job placement rate for graduates seeking employment. Students also have the potential to graduate with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Advanced Manufacturing and two years of industry experience without any school-related debt.

Applications are now being accepted for both programs and interested students should apply online at www.calhoun.edu/fame or at www.calhoun.edu/epic until March 15, 2020 by 11:59PM CST. For more information, contact Terry Patterson terry.patterson@calhoun.edu or at 256-306-2915.

Registration for the information sessions is highly encouraged as refreshments will be served. To register, please visit www.calhoun.edu/PreviewNight.

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