Central Arizona College has joined three other state colleges and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity in launching the ReadyTechGo network focused on training students for careers in advanced manufacturing.

CAC is one of the founding colleges within the network, which is part of the state’s strategy to attract more Arizonans to the advanced manufacturing industry and fill tech jobs at employers such as Lucid Motors, Nikola and Raytheon, a CAC press release stated. 

"ReadyTechGo represents an important collaboration between Maricopa Community Colleges, Pima Community College and Central Arizona College,” stated Andrew Clegg, executive director of workforce and economic development at CAC, in the release. “This shared curriculum prepares students with cutting-edge skills and knowledge, ensuring they are ready to meet the evolving demands of today's employers."

CAC and ReadyTechGo’s other three colleges, Estrella Mountain Community College, Mesa Community College and Pima Community College, will offer the Automated Industrial Technology program. Students will be trained to operate, monitor and maintain a variety of automated electro-mechanical, product assembly, process control and product distribution systems that use programmable controls and other equipment. 

The AIT program’s curriculum is consistent across all the colleges in the network so students can transfer among schools without having to delay their completion date.

The program frontloads its curriculum so students can be “prepared for a job in as little as two weeks,” the release stated.

Students can choose to continue their education and earn specialty certifications in such fields as electric vehicles, semiconductors, medical devices and aerospace. The entire program can be completed in two years and culminates in an associate degree. 

“As a leading global aerospace company and Arizona employer, Boeing is honored to collaborate with this network of community colleges and the state of Arizona to launch the ReadyTechGo initiative. As Arizona continues to rise as a national leader in advanced manufacturing, ReadyTechGo will be instrumental in continuing to cultivate a highly skilled workforce and supporting a consistent talent pipeline," Boeing Government Operations Director and Chair of the Arizona Workforce Council Mark Gaspers stated in the release.

There are plans to expand ReadyTechGo to other Arizona colleges.