NATCHITOCHES – Three graduates of the GeauxFAME Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT) program were honored with a recognition ceremony July 25. GeauxFAME AMT is a workforce education and development program that produces highly skilled talent prepared to meet workforce needs in the manufacturing industry.
The graduates are Douglas Floyd of Natchitoches, Hayden Stanley of Glenmora and Jackson Suire DeRidder. They are the fifth cohort of students to complete the AMT program that began in 2017. The recognition ceremony for family, friends and industry partners took place at Bossier Parish Community College’s Natchitoches Campus.
In addition to AMT certification, the graduates earned associate degrees in engineering technology from Northwestern State University and are eligible to continue towards a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology.
GeauxFAME is the Natchitoches chapter of FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) under the umbrella of the national FAME organization. Graduates said that the AMT program now only provided them with technical skills, but also time management, communication and work/life balance skills.
Stanley was recognized as this year’s Distinguished Graduate. Earlier this year, he was part of a team from NSU who won the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, a college entrepreneur competition, for Rise and Rotate, a device that assists individuals with limited mobility in getting from a bed to a chair. Stanley was chief research and development officer for the team, which was awarded $25,000. He will also be serving in the U.S. Army National Guard.
The program concluded with a lock removal ceremony, symbolizing a task completed.
The AMT program was initially developed through agreements with NSU and Central Louisiana Technical Community College-Natchitoches, which was acquired by BPCC last year. Students attend classes two days per week and work for a sponsoring employer for three days per week at a competitive wage. Industry partners include AFCO Industries, Alliance Compressors, Boise Cascade, International Paper, me&e, Natchitoches Regional Medical Center, RoyOMartin, Stella-Jones and Weyerhaeuser.
Information on the AMT program is available at https://fame-usa.com/.
Pictured: Students who completed the GeauxFAME Advanced Manufacturing Technician program are, from left, Douglas Floyd, Hayden Stanley and Jackson Suire. They are the fifth cohort to complete the AMT program, which allows individuals to work in a partnering manufacturing facility while earning AMT certification and an associate degree in engineering technology
