Students who graduate with a degree in Mechatronics from Surry Community College are in high demand
due to a shortage of technically qualified employees. Mechatronics is a combination of
Mechanical, Electronics and Robotics engineering processes working together to accomplish a
specific task. Local businesses need employees with technical skills in Mechatronics because
manufacturing has become automated with the use of robotics. Night classes are available.
Hello, my name is Doug Slate, and I am the Lead Instructor for Mechatronics Engineering
as well as Industrial Systems Technology here at Surry Community College.
Manufacturing is a rapidly growing industry with good paying jobs and full benefits for
qualified employees. Mechatronics graduates make around $48,000 per year on average.
Some companies have indicated that they will lose 50 percent of their skilled workers to
retirement over the next 10 years. These factors make the job outlook very good.
Surry Community College has advanced training equipment both here on the main campus and
at the Yadkin Center.
The Automation Room at the Dobson campus is the only lab of its kind in North Carolina.
The equipment was donated by a local industry, modified, and assembled by instructors and
students here at Surry Community. The Automation Room is equipped with two Fanuc robots, and
serves as an example of what is being used in a typical advanced manufacturing plant.
Students program and operate these robots in the hands-on classes taught by instructors
with many years of experience in the industry.
Students also learn to use ultrasonic testers and thermography tools used in predictive
maintenance.
During their studies, students also train to obtain national industry certifications
in their field. Surry students have the option of earning a degree, diploma or certificate
in Mechatronics.
High school juniors and seniors can take Mechatronics classes tuition-free through the Career & College
Promise dual enrollment program.
Mechatronics classes are offered on the Dobson campus as well as at the Yadkin Center.
Mechatronics students are high skilled, high-tech trouble shooters who are getting jobs even
before they graduate.
Local companies who employ people with Mechatronics skills include R.J. Reynolds, Ashley Furniture,
AES, Pittsburg Glass Works, UNIFI, Weyerhaeuser, Lydall, Phillips Van Heusen, WestRock, Sonoco,
Austin Electrical Enclosures, United Plastics, B&G Foods, Continental Structural Plastics,
Insteel, and CK Technologies.
I chose to go into Mechatronics because I am looking for a career when I get out of
school with high paying jobs in a high employment rate.
I think the things that excite me about Mechatronics are getting to come and work on different
things. You are always just going to be learning about something new. No day is the same as
the day before. It’s very hands on.
I think it’s amazing the work that they have done here, and the things this school
has to provide for this program are extraordinary.
I feel that the job market in Mechatronics is booming. It’s only growing. I mean robotics
and computers are only going to be, you know, more and more. They are never going to go
away, so they are going to need a lot more people to do these jobs.
This is my first semester at Surry Community College, and being a woman in a male dominated
field is very exciting. I think most people would find it intimidating, but it’s a ground
breaking journey. And more women should try it.
I chose Mechatronics as a field because manufacturing jobs are on the rise and they always need
more maintenance people in the field to help keep the machines running at all times.
The thing that really excites me about the Mechatronics program is being able to work
with robots because ever since I was a little kid I have always through robots were really
cool.
The thing that fascinates me the most about Mechatronics program is that I always thought
that being able to program a robot would be really hard, but actually, when you get in
the program and learn everything about it, it becomes very simple.
I do recommend other students coming to Surry Community College to study Mechatronics because
it is just as cool as it sounds and it’s a lot of fun.
Before I come back to school, I was an automotive technician for the past 10 years so I am used
to working with my hands and using computers to find issues that aren’t causing equipment
to work right.
The thing that excites me the most about Mechatronics is the fact that it will continue on with
what I already know, how to work with my hands, how to troubleshoot electronics, and programming
and installing equipment.
We get to do a lot of hands-on work. They teach us in depth about how sensors work with
switches and just how the whole process can be automated and run by just a few people.
It’s a really good mix of lecture and hands-on. The second year we are starting to get into
more hands-on to see how you will actually wire up a circuit and use it to do something
that you actually program it to do. It’s very interesting.
Our instructors at Surry, they’ve got a lot of experience in the industry. They’ve
been out there hands-on with exactly what they are teaching. They know first hand stuff
we will see that is common to break and how to fix it.
Whenever we graduate from our Mechatronics program, the money that we can make will be
very good.
Students also have the option of earning an Industrial Systems certificate, which teaches
individuals to safely service, maintain, repair, or install equipment. The Industrial Systems
classes are also included in the Mechatronics degree, so the certificate can be used as
a stepping stone to the degree. Some companies require an Industrial Systems certificate
for their maintenance technicians. The Industrial Systems certificate is also offered to high
school juniors and seniors tuition free through the Career & College Promise dual enrollment
program. For more information, go to www.surry.edu. You can also follow the program on Facebook
@surrymechatronics.