| CCCC, OP-TEC light the way with laser workshops
May 3, 2008
LILLINGTON – Laser and photonics programs may be established at more educational institutions in the future as a result of recent workshops held at Central Carolina Community College 's Harnett County Campus.
More programs are needed to overcome the critical shortage of laser/photonics technicians. Photonics is the study of controlling light energy; lasers are the devices that do so. Attendees at the two workshops, held April 23-25, left excited about the possibility of implementing programs.
“These workshops were a very valuable first step in trying to start other community college photonic programs,” said Gary Beasley, Central Carolina Community College 's Laser and Photonics program lead instructor. “Our program, like those in other parts of the country, receive a lot more job offers for students than we have students. This gap in the availability of knowledgeable photonics technicians must be filled in order to continue the strong photonics technology growth, which also tremendously helps other parts of our nation's economy."
The workshops were facilitated by Dr. John Souders, director of curriculum for the National Center for Optics and Photonics Education. Headquartered in Waco , Texas , OP-TEC is funded by the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technology Education program. Central Carolina C.C. is one of OP-TEC's eight partner colleges and it is home to the only full laser and photonics technology two-year associate degree program in North and South Carolina . Less than 20 such laser programs exist in the United States .
There are approximately 200 graduates from the 20 programs each year, but with an annual growth of approximately 2,000 new photonics technician jobs, there is a wide gap to fill. This shortage has resulted in companies' crisscrossing the nation searching for qualified people, Beasley said. Graduates from CCCC's Laser Program usually have jobs with annual salaries starting from $35,000 to $60,000. Students are offered jobs as early as the February prior to May graduation.
According to OP-TEC, the shortage of laser/photonics technicians is a threat to our country's high-tech industries. OP-TEC's mission is to increase the number of laser/photonics technicians. It is working to expand the pipeline of students into existing, and future, laser/photonic technical college programs by helping with recruiting efforts and encouraging high schools to offer more photonics-related courses to introduce students to the field.
OP-TEC is also working with community colleges either to add a photonics-related curriculum to their existing technical programs, or start offering full laser/photonic two-year degree programs. It is also encouraging employers to cross-train existing technicians into the photonics area.
The first workshop, held Wednesday April 23, targeted the high school pipeline. Sixteen Career Technical Education directors and CTE teachers attended from North Carolina and elsewhere. The second workshop, held Thursday and Friday, April 24-25, targeted community colleges. Fourteen science and engineering community college and high school educators from New York , North Carolina , and Virginia attended.
Workshop presenters included Dr. Souders, Jeff Conley, Carolina Photonics Consortium director, and Gary Beasley, CCCC's Laser Program's lead instructor. CPC is a consortium of Clemson, Duke, North Carolina State University , UNC-Charlotte, and Western Carolina University . Their mission is to grow the photonics industry in the Carolinas . Two additional OP-TEC partner colleges also provided video presentations through a live, remote feed from their college sites.
“Of several OP-TEC workshops across the U.S. , this was not only the largest, but generated the most enthusiasm among attendees of any to date,” Souders said.
For more information about the Laser and Photonics Program at Central Carolina , contact Gary Beasley, lead instructor, at (910) 814-8828, or by email at gbeasley@cccc.edu. | 
