8 | THELAKER campus happenings FLCC TAKES WELDING ON THE ROAD The College uses innovative gear to solve a workforce problem. Over the last six months, FLCC has graduated four small classes of beginning welders: six Victor high schoolers, four adults in Canandaigua, ve in Newark, and six others at a manufacturing plant in Penn Yan. Until recently, transportation and the cost of traditional welding equipment would have made it costly and impractical to o er small classes over a wide geographic area. Enter the Miller AugmentedArc, a welding simulator that uses augmented reality to provide hands-on training without the danger of sparks, molten metal, and heat. Students wear a welding helmet and grasp a torch-like tool. Both are connected by cables to a computer running simulation so ware. “It’s portable. It’s easy. You can teach people faster with it,” FLCC President Robert Nye said. Convenience and flexibility Welding is a high-demand eld, but those jobs are scattered across the region. e College’s adoption of innovative equipment has made it possible to provide training to students of all ages in multiple locations. Instructor Jahaan Williams totes two cases that look like oversized luggage from site to site, assembling the simulator in minutes. e computer screen in the helmet shows students exactly what they would see if using a real torch and metal. Olena O’Brien, left, of Dundee, practices welding with a torch after 10 weeks of classes using the simulator. Olena assembles electrical harnesses for Coach and Equipment buses. She joined the program to become eligible for a promotion.
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