At a glance
Along the tour, students were connected with all phases of the creation of rail cars, from Web-based programming to live manufacturing.
A group of Alfred State technology management students got a first-hand glimpse into the world of manufacturing during a recent tour of the Alstom facility in Hornell.
According to the students’ instructor, Susan Gorman, a lecturer in the Business Department, the tour was part of an applied learning component that coincided with a manufacturing simulation that the students completed for the management technology innovation course.
“The simulation was designed so that students would go through a research and development process of designing an innovative technology product to full production, implementing areas of value chain, logistics, human resources, accounting/finance, and marketing,” Gorman said.
Along the tour, students were connected with all phases of the creation of rail cars, from Web-based programming to live manufacturing.
“Because of the increase in technology in manufacturing as a whole, it is important to connect the next generation of the workforce with new innovative opportunities that manufacturing brings,” Gorman said.
Alstom Sourcing and Supply Chain Director in Hornell Sacha Bodin provided the tour, along with fellow employees Dave Andersen, quality director, and Dave Woolever, industrial director. Bodin said Alstom is pleased to partner with Alfred State, to host student tours, and to “have them discover our Hornell operations and career opportunities literally just down the road from the college.”
“At Alstom, we feel that there is no better way to engage local talent than to open our doors and let them see first-hand what contributions they could make as future employees, engineers, and managers,” said Bodin. “It is a win-win situation both for Alstom and for our local community, giving us the opportunity to bring on and to continue to develop individuals that bring new ideas and technologies to the rail industry, strengthening our business in the face of a challenging and growing market, and helping us secure the sustainability of our operations.”
Speaking to the partnership between Alfred State and Alstom, Business Department Chair Danielle Green said, “The partnership between Alfred State and Alstom is creating excellent opportunities for our students and is a great example of how education and industry can work together to create the workforce of the future. Alfred State Business Department students are exposed to the formal theories and practices of textbook knowledge and then shown how that knowledge can be applied in real-world industries. The partnership itself creates better informed and more successful graduates through internships and interactions with industry professionals.”
