New Frameworks and Resources for Florida’s Machining Programs

Over the past 18 months, FLATE has been working with post-secondary and high schools machining programs, machining professionals and the Florida Department of Education (FL DOE) to re-write, revise and update the frameworks for machining, now called Machining Technologies. These two documents can be accessed on the FL DOE website for Manufacturing Curriculum Frameworks. The new post-secondary program is “Machining Technologies (J200100)” and new high school program is “Machining Technologies (9202100)”. Both are available for implementation in the 2015-2016 academic year.

The goals of these activities were multifold:

• Update the standards and benchmarks to better represent modern machining skills
• Define a seamless pathway between high school program and the more advance program courses offered at Florida Technical Colleges
• Define a program that is aligned to NIMS (National Institute of Metal Working) credentials
• Define a high school program that is affordable for high schools to add
• Provide a solid foundation for the machining workforce
• Provide a foundation that will have good articulation opportunities to Engineering Technology College Credit Certificates in the machining area.

The Florida Curriculum Frameworks are rich documents that define all aspects of career and technical education in Florida. In addition to the workforce skills, and knowledge in defined occupations, the High School curriculum frameworks include alignment to academics (literacy, mathematics, science) and the new Florida standards. These standards enrich the skills-based training the students get with applied foundational knowledge of principles and processes used in the technologies providing a strong base for career advancement and life-long learning.