We are pleased to announce the official accreditation of Machine Tool Technology Program at Chattanooga State Community College in Tennessee!  Officially accredited as of May 17, 2013, the staff and faculty at Chattanooga State have met NIMS standards and will continue to set the bar for exceptional metalworking training for secondary education in the state of Tennessee.

To complete the accreditation requirements, an On-Site Evaluation took place at the college on February 19-20, 2013, which was conducted by veteran NIMS Evaluation Team Leader Terry Babb of Apex Tool & Manufacturing in Evansville, Indiana.  Assisting Babb was Eddie Laney, Quality Manager and Manufacturing Engineer for Master Machine, Inc. in Chattanooga, and Shawn Williams, an instructor at Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Tennessee - where his machining training program is also seeking accreditation with NIMS.

A facility inspection was conducted at the college metalworking shop, 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, giving the program very high ratings in the evaluation areas of Equipment/Tooling/Measuring Devices, Program Features, Administration, Instructional Staff, and Advisory Committee.

This accreditation is in Level I Machining Skills, with an emphasis on:

• Measurement, Materials & Safety
• Job Planning, Benchwork, & Layout
• Turning Operations: Turning Between Centers
• CNC Milling: Programming & Setup

Congratulations to everyone involved in this process, especially instructors Wade Silvey and Sam O'Rear for working actively to secure this accreditation!   Special thanks to the Evaluation Team members Terry Babb, Eddie Laney, and Shawn Williams, without which this would not be possible!