James Leech, Instructor of Manufacturing Technology
James Leech, Instructor of Manufacturing Technology
After working 30 years in manufacturing as an engineer and holding several management positions, Jim Leech took advantage of an early retirement package offered by his employer. As an advisory board member at BRCC, he helped develop a non-credit technical program for incumbent manufacturing workers. He also wrote and instructed materials as an adjunct faculty. So when the College was awarded its first Community Based Job Training Grant from the Department of Labor, Leech was the obvious choice for the full-time faculty position to develop an AAS program in advanced manufacturing specializing in automation. Now Leech heads the Manufacturing Engineering Technology program.
“The success of the plant offered job security and a better life for so many people, I felt it would be a rewarding experience to try and introduce others to the technologies and business methods used to improve plant operations and thus their job security and standard of living. This program will allow BRCC students an opportunity to appreciate the challenges and rewards the modern manufacturing environment has to offer,” explained Leech.
Backed by many regional manufacturers and businesses within the BRCC service region, the newly-launched MET program utilizes over $500,000 of state-of-the-art, industrial training equipment in the areas of electrical-electronics, refrigeration, fluid mechanics, power mechanics and automated systems training. Leech says the MET program at BRCC will fulfill a vital need in regional manufacturing as manufacturing continues to automate their production operations.