Siemens Provides $32 Million Software Grant to Educate and Train Workers for Manufacturing

The partnership can help prepare a skilled workforce to take advantage of the manufacturing resurgence in America

Siemens

Plano, TexasSept. 26, 2014—From its Charlotte Energy Hub, Siemens announced that it will be making a $32 million in-kind software grant to Central Piedmont Community College(CPCC) for its science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) division, which serves thousands of students and commercial companies annually. CPCC will use the software to enhance existing courses and develop new courses related to advanced manufacturing, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, electronics engineering, mechatronics, robotics and information technology.

It will also be used in an apprenticeship program with Siemens, building on the current partnership between the two organizations. By enabling students to learn and train on the same product lifecycle management (PLM) software used throughout the global manufacturing industry, Siemens and CPCC are helping North Carolina prepare the highly skilled workforce necessary to meet the demands of America’s resurgent manufacturing industry.

“The resurgence in the American manufacturing industry, driven by an ongoing software revolution, created a critical demand for qualified technology-trained professionals in manufacturing,” said Chuck Grindstaff, president and CEO, Siemens PLM Software. “By partnering with Siemens PLM Software to integrate PLM technology into its curriculum, Central Piedmont Community College will help ensure its students have the training in advanced manufacturing technologies and practices they need to be successful in a highly competitive job market.”

With Siemens’ PLM software technology in the classroom, students can develop the advanced manufacturing and design skills sought after by the more than 77,000 companies worldwide. These companies utilize Siemens’ software solutions to design, develop and manufacture some of the world’s most sophisticated products in a variety of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical devices, machinery, shipbuilding and high-tech electronics.

“In North Carolina, we understand the importance of cooperation between industry, education and government to maximize workforce development," said North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. "The partnership announced by Siemens with Central Piedmont College demonstrates how we are working together to build a highly skilled workforce that will meet the needs of our employers and strengthen North Carolina’s economy."

Local advanced manufacturing companies partnered with CPCC to help train this next-generation workforce. The aim is to fill talent pipelines with people who are well-equipped to utilize the latest automation, production and design software.

More than 120 businesses throughout the state of North Carolina and in the Charlotte region rely on Siemens’ PLM software, including employers such as Hendrick Motorsports, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Joe Gibbs Racing, Textron Inc. and Deere-Hitachi Construction Machinery Corporation.

According to Tony Zeiss, CPCC president, “With this gift, CPCC will be able to deliver PLM training to degree-seeking students and incumbent workers, giving them the advanced technical skills desired by employers, particularly in the area of advanced manufacturing.”

“Manufacturing is one of the most sophisticated, highly skilled and innovative areas of business in the world today because software radically transformed the industry. We need to let students, parents and administrators know what these jobs look like and what students need to learn in order to get them,” said Eric Spiegel, president and CEO, Siemens USA. “Our enhanced partnership with CPCC offers students valuable academic and workforce opportunities to start careers in this high-tech industry.”

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