Students enrolled in an electronics course at Middlesex Community College were presented with a hand soldering certificate on Friday, May 3. After finishing their final projects, the students reflected on their experiences. The course is fully funded by Metallica’s Foundation, All Within My Hands, through the Metallica Scholars Initiative.
Eden Vachtel, an MCC Biomedical Engineering major from Lexington, learned about the course after MCC Professor Cristopher Algarra emailed her about the opportunity. After receiving more information about it, she was excited.
“At first, I thought about being a doctor, but then I realized I wanted to work behind the scenes,” Vachtel said. “I became more interested in hands-on work and increasing my engineering and manufacturing knowledge. This allowed me to improve my building and problem-solving skills.”
In the Summer of 2022, Middlesex was selected from a competitive field of community colleges across the country to receive $100,000. With the funding, MCC’s Corporate and Community Education and Training division worked with MassHire Lowell to develop an electronics course to teach participants the knowledge and skills they need to be hired into entry-level positions in the advanced manufacturing field.
The course was taught by Professor Nicoleta Cozi on MCC’s Bedford campus where students developed their soldering skills.
Sean Wilcox, an MCC Mechanical Engineering major from Reading, participated in the course after Algarra contacted him. With four years of soldering experience, he wanted to hone his skills.
“I think it is an amazing program,” Wilcox said. “The teachers care about you which is refreshing. The program offers a great path for people who are willing to work hard and put in their best efforts.”
Katy Gentile, MCC’s Assistant Director of Corporate Education and Training, believes that through the program’s scholarship and course offerings, OSHA-30 certification and J-standard preparation, student applicants enrolled in a STEM major or certificate program can build their resume, learn new hands-on skills, and lessen their cost of tuition.
“All three choices are a game changer,” Gentile said. “We are proud to offer a skill developing opportunity that can be life-changing for our students and help them discover stable employment.”
About All Within My Hands (AWMH)
Established by the members and management of Metallica in 2017 as a means to invest in the people and places that have supported the band, the Foundation is focused on supporting sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. All expenses of the Foundation are covered by the band, the board, and a few special friends so that 100% of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
About American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)
As the voice of the nation’s community colleges, the AACC delivers educational and economic opportunity for more than 10 million diverse students searching for the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC’s nearly 1,100 member colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C.. AACC advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the resources and support they need to deliver on the mission of increasing economic mobility for all.