Middlesex Community College

Middlesex Community College (MCC), with campuses in Lowell and Bedford, Mass., will implement the Industry-Integrated Computer Aided Design Expansion Program to double the size and scope of its current associate degree in computer aided design (CAD) course of study. MCC is a Minority-Serving Institution that enrolls about 8,000 students annually. During the past three years, MCC piloted a learn-and-earn program with its biotechnology degree students, placing them with area employers while they completed their coursework. The high success rate of degree completion and hiring in that program will be a model for the CAD expansion to follow, with goals of curriculum development, securing employer partners, and creating a learn-and-earn format for CAD students earning credit, doing hands-on laboratory work, and accepting job placements. Area demand for CAD workers exceeds national levels and the career has high-wage potential. Outcomes include enrolling an additional 200 students, partnering with a minimum of four area STEM or advanced manufacturing employers, improving CAD laboratory resources, establishing an industry-led advisory board, and a stretch goal of 100 percent job placement for participants.