NIMS is pleased to announce a dual accreditation of Rock Valley College's Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program and of the Fast-Track training program at TechWorks/EIGERlab, both of which are located in Rockford, Illinois!  Since first applying for accreditation in November 2009, the staff and faculty at Rock Valley College and TechWorks/EIGERlab have taken action to ensure their programs meet NIMS standards and these programs will continue to set the bar for exceptional metalworking training for post-secondary students and adult trainees in the state of Illinois.

In recent years TechWorks / EIGERlab partnered with Rock Valley College to create a Fast-Track training program that not only provides trainees with the opportunity to learn basic machining theory and application in an accelerated time period, but trainees also learn to program and/or operate a CNC lathe or mill.  To top it off, trainees are givien the chance to have these skills certified by earning one or more NIMS CNC Credentials.  All this is in addition to Rock Valley College's excellent for-credit Manufacturing Engineering Technology Program that is open to all students enrolled at the college.

To complete the accreditation audit, an On-Site Evaluation took place on January 30-31 and was led by NIMS Team Leader Ron Krueger, along with local Industry Representative Brad Wagner (Anpec Industries, Inc. - Pecatonica, IL) and Education Representative Bryant Redd (Wilbur Wright College - Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center, also a recently accredited program!). 

The audit included a facility inspection at the college and at the TechWorks / EIGERlab location, as well as a host of in-depth interviews with students, instructors, administrators, program advisory committee members, and local employers.  Following these events, the evaluation team gathered enough evidence to recommend accreditation and they made the following praise-worthy notes:

• The program has all the elements to provide its students with the needed knowledge to be successful in the metalworking industry.  Both shops have a good selection of tooling and machines... and all the machines were in good repair.
• From talking to the employers, the administration is doing good job of supporting the program and getting the supplies and materials that is needed to run the program.
• The staff has a combined 70 years of experience in the metalworking field. They are also willing to go out and continue their training in any areas that are needed to help teach the students the skills that they need.
• This advisory committee was one of the best I have seen. The committee meets monthly and has plenty of input into the program.  They have helped to get the school tooling and equipment, and are a driving force that helps ensure that they get good quality employees from the program.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this process, especially TechWorks/EIGERlab's Business Development Director Dave Morgan, Rock Valley College's Associate Dean of Business, CIS, & Engineering Richard Gocken, not to mention the faculty and staff at both locations for working so actively to secure this dual accreditation!   Special thanks to the Evaluation Team as well, without which this would not be possible!

To learn more about the these programs:

• Visit the Rock Valley College website  //  Contact Associate Dean Richard Gocken
• Visit the TechWorks / EIGERlab website  //  Contact Business Development Director Dave Morgan

Looking for more information on NIMS Accreditation?  Click the Accreditation tab at the top of this page or simply click here.