At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, we’re tackling a critical challenge: preparing skilled technicians for the rapidly evolving industrial landscape of southern Mississippi. Our instrumentation and controls program combines automation, instrumentation controls and electronics to create technicians ready for today’s manufacturing environment.
Our objective is straightforward but ambitious: to take young people right out of high school with minimal technical training, walk them through industry 4.0 fundamentals and, in just three semesters, mold them into automation or instrumentation control technicians ready for high-paying careers.
The results speak for themselves—we maintain a 94% employment rate for our graduates, with salaries reaching $100,000 within a few years at major employers like Chevron and Ingalls Shipbuilding.
Based on our experience, here are five key factors to consider when building your own Industry 4.0 training program that aligns with local industry needs:
1. Keep pace with technology
Our students must be prepared for constant change. They know that when they walk out of here—they’ve got to be able to adapt to new technology.
We recently implemented a smart manufacturing system with SmartCIM 4.0 from Intelitek, which gives students hands-on experience with cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies, including collaborative robotics, smart sensors, PLCs and predictive maintenance. This provides technology skills they can take into a manufacturing environment.
2. Maintain strong industry partnerships
We hold advisory meetings twice a year with representatives from companies that hire our graduates. These partners provide invaluable feedback on everything from technical skills to resumé preparation, and we consistently re-adjust our business practices to meet their needs, ensuring our curriculum remains relevant and our graduates stay competitive.
Our local partners represent all types of businesses, including refineries, power plants, shipyards, military installations and even casinos—all with complex electromechanical systems that require maintenance.
There is no industry here that can’t hire our graduates, and we don’t have enough graduates to fill the need. One of our equipment vendors called last semester looking to hire students and we had to tell him that everyone already had a job.
3. Emphasize hands-on training
Our program is built around practical applications. In advanced courses, lab work can make up to 70% of the content. But most of our classes are 50/50 lab work and practical application. Until students see what the machinery can do, it doesn’t sink in.
The capstone project with the SmartCIM 4.0 system integrates everything students have learned about machining, laser engraving, welding, assembly and quality control. We get them comfortable with the fundamentals, run them through maintenance operations and prepare them to walk directly into industrial positions upon graduation.
4. Set realistic expectations
We ensure students understand the realities of industrial work early on. They are hit with a real dose of reality during the first semester. They learn they might be working four, 10-hour days, on-call or working holidays or weekends.
But they also know they get compensated very well for their time. This approach has proven successful—once students complete their first semester, they typically continue to graduation and secure employment.
5. Create a diverse pipeline
Our program attracts diverse students, from recent high school graduates to career changers and industry professionals seeking credentials. We’ve had teachers, a physical therapist and even mechanical engineers who got tired of sitting in an office. Here, they get to be out on the equipment, doing real projects.
Students are optimistic about career outcomes—with six-figure salaries becoming common within a few years. Salary prospects make these careers attractive to both traditional students and those making mid-career transitions. The hands-on nature of the work appeals particularly to those tired of desk jobs.
Looking ahead, we will continue to expand our program to meet industry demands. With state and federal grant support, we’re adding more standalone robots for student programming practice and developing new automation courses as we can.
Most of the manufacturing plants are in northern Mississippi and northern Alabama, with some in Mobile. Our school management team feels if we offer the opportunities and the training, we will end up with major manufacturing down along the coast.
From casinos to traffic systems (which now use cameras to analyze traffic patterns and mass sensors in the asphalt), the need for highly skilled technicians continues to grow. By providing comprehensive Industry 4.0 training with state-of-the-art equipment and an industry-aligned curriculum, we’re not just filling jobs—we’re building careers and strengthening our local economy for generations to come.
