Maintaining national industry standards inside the classroom is no easy task but the team at Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing rose to the challenge and officially renewed the national accreditation of the Machinist Technology Program as of March 1, 2016.

NIMS accreditation is the only national benchmark to recognize excellence in metalworking training as based on national industry-written, industry-approved standards. By securing this national award, the institute demonstrates its continued commitment to providing the highest quality of industry-level training within the state of West Virginia and for the greater U.S. Manufacturing Industry.

Following a rigorous on-site audit by veteran NIMS Evaluator Joe Waskevich, the program received the high scores in all areas of evaluation:

• Administration Support
• Equipment, Tooling & Measuring Devices
• Facilities
• Instructional Staff
• Program Features
• Program Purpose
• Student Testing Efforts

The Huntington program has continually provided students with the opportunity to earn NIMS certifications, resulting in nearly 900 certifications issued to students as of March 1, 2016. Leading by example, Instructors Rich Smoot and Danny Pancake hold a combined fourteen NIMS credentials from the Machining Level I skill group.

“Program does an excellent job in preparing trainees for industry – top to bottom… The instructors provide an atmosphere and learning environment relevant to working in the industry.

By using NIMS credentials as part of the curriculum, the program insures that the importance of instruction is geared towards industry.”

Joe Waskevich, NIMS Lead Evaluator

Reestablishing this industry award secures accreditation for the next five years. Training focuses on manual/CNC machining skills while covering safety practices, measurement skills, mathematics and industrial communications.