Grant Expands Student Offerings
January 6, 2025
In the fall of 2023, the Motlow State Mechatronics department was awarded a Perkins Reserve Grant to give instructors additional training, including Cognex Vision Systems, Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), SolidWorks, and Programmable Logic Controllers. This training is essential to ensure that the College remains up to date with technologies that students need for their careers. This training makes Motlow the second institution in the United States and the fourth in the world to offer credentials in In-Sight EasyBuilder and In-Sight Spreadsheet.
Micro-credentials and certifications are gaining significant attention nationwide, as they confirm a student's qualifications for industry roles. The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) actively supports programs that offer these valuable third-party credentials and accepts petitions from colleges every three years, accompanied by letters of support from industry partners, to seek credential approval. Motlow is pleased to report that the College successfully submitted requests for recognition of Cognex Vision and SACA.
Cognex
The College is proud of its partnership with Cognex Vision Systems, the world’s leading provider of vision systems, software, sensors, and industrial barcode readers for manufacturing automation. Cognex technology enables companies to improve product quality, reduce production errors, lower manufacturing costs, and exceed consumer expectations for high-quality, affordable products.
SACA
The Motlow State Mechatronics department began its partnership with the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) in 2022. Its vision is to provide highly affordable, accessible certifications to those who possess Industry 4.0 skills, thereby ensuring that companies have the highly skilled workers they need, and workers are prepared for success in an industry 4.0 world. Motlow Mechatronics instructors have completed both Silver and Gold SACA Certification exams and training in order to offer these certifications in the Mechatronics program. The program has introduced eight Silver and Gold Certifications this year.
In-Sight
Over the past year, Motlow’s Mechatronics instructors completed training to become Bronze Certified in two types of vision applications, including In-Sight EasyBuilder and In-Sight Spreadsheet. These credentials were also recently added to the College’s Mechatronics program. The College plans to continue training instructors in order to offer Silver and Gold Certifications for Cognex In-Sight EasyBuilder by the fall of 2025.
Additional Certifications
In addition, to keep pace with advancements in Programmable Logic Controllers, Motlow instructors received training from Motlow’s Automation and Robotics Training Center (ARTC) at McMinnville, TN in August 2024. Training is vital to maintaining Motlow’s relevance in Mechatronics, and College faculty recognize that they must continuously increase their knowledge and remain current in order to best serve students. To support this goal, the College has applied for Perkins Reserve funding to Certify instructors in Silver and Gold for In-Sight EasyBuilder and Train-the-Trainer in Yaskawa Robotic Arc Welding in 2024-2025.
Learn about the Mechatronics program at Motlow.edu/mechatronics.