Fifty-two Naugatuck Valley Community College students who will graduate in January and May with certificates in Advanced Manufacturing were recognized Friday at the Fifth Annual Presidential Awards Ceremony. The event was held at NVCC’s Technology Hall on its Waterbury campus and sponsored by the Smaller Manufacturers Association of Connecticut (SMA). The students are enrolled in a two semester program in Advanced Manufacturing Technology. The program equips them with skills to foster career growth in the manufacturing field. NVCC President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Ph.D., Provost James Troup, faculty and staff from the College along with industry partners and representatives from Thomaston Savings Bank were present to commemorate the achievement.

Kimberly Lebron, a Senior Vice President and Chief Loan Officer at Thomaston Savings Bank, presented a scholarship to one of the program’s top performing students. Because the bank has historically worked with many local manufacturers whom they saw struggling to find skilled help, they decided to help build a pipeline of skilled workers through the scholarship which is awarded to a qualified student each year.

 “I hope this is the first of many steps as you move forward,” President De Filippis said to students whom she encouraged to continue their studies. President De Filippis started the awards program five years ago as an incentive for Advanced Manufacturing Students to perform well in their studies by providing additional training at no-cost. Students with grades of a B or better were recognized and received a prepaid OSHA 10 safety training class. The top ten students from the class, who were also recognized at Friday’s ceremony, received a prepaid introduction to additive manufacturing, solid works, and 3-D Printing class in addition to the OSHA 10 class. Both classes will be held at the College in January.

Students who received certificates in Advanced Manufacturing Machine Technology are qualified to work in machine technology and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) manufacturing environments. The certificate provides desired work skills by combining hands-on instruction, interactive lab experiences, theory, and possible on-site manufacturing internships.

“There is no doubt that Connecticut is on a manufacturing up-turn.  All indications point to a resurgence of manufacturing jobs here in Connecticut,” said Joseph DeFeo, Program Director for NVCC’s Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center. “It is now vital that we create the skilled work force needed to meet the manufacturing needs of companies such as Electric Boat, Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft over the next 5-10 years.  We take this as our mission and believe we are well positioned to educate, train, and then provide the skilled workers to meet the growing demand.”

The certificate curriculum is available at: Credit/Advanced-Manufacturing-Technology-Center.  Manufacturers or potential students interested in the program can contact Deirdre D’Amore at 203-575-8014 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more about NVCC’s manufacturing program in Waterbury.

The Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program is funded by the Connecticut Advanced Manufacturing Initiative (CAMI). Additionally, NVCC has close to 200 industry partners that support the program including Branson, Kimberly-Clark, Memry Corporation, Stanley Engineering, and UTC.