How do you measure the success of a new Optics Technician training program? You could look at class enrollment, graduation rates, and job placement. These are important data points for Carolyn McMorran, Assistant Vice President of Professional and Continuing Education at Valencia College where she helped launch the Precision Optics, Photonics, and Fiber Optics Technician program. But McMorran says there is a tangible human element that is perhaps more important than traditional metrics. “For our students, it’s been life-changing,” she said.

Valencia College – AST program’s first cohort of optics graduates proudly display their ceriticates.

Valencia College launched the program in the fall of 2023, after a comprehensive research and planning phase with AmeriCOM, local optics manufacturers, and academic partners, to develop the training and curriculum. Unlike traditional certificate programs that span an entire academic year, Valencia’s program is part of its Accelerated Skills Training (AST) department. The 15-week program design offers intensive, hands-on training based on employers’ specific needs, and allows for multiple cohorts within a 12-month span.

Looking back on the program’s first year, McMorran says it has been a resounding success. “Many students came in with no knowledge of optics, and in 15 weeks they have essential skills to accept a position as a Technician at optics manufacturing companies,” McMorran said. “Eighty-percent of what we do is hands-on training. That’s why employers love us. [Graduates] can walk onto a manufacturing floor, work in a lab, and handle and polish lenses, with a full understanding of all of the safety protocols.”

Hands-on training is a key component to the success of the program.

The Central Florida region is a hotbed for the optics industry with defense giants like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, along with dozens of manufacturers like Luminar, LightPath, Photon-X, L3 Harris, and many more. The region’s job market is dominated by the hospitality industry, so many job seekers are simply unaware of the optics manufacturing field. McMorran explained how this dynamic presented a challenge for Valencia to recruit students. “We were creating awareness about careers that many of our students did not know existed. Many students were UBER drivers, or food delivery workers,” McMorran said.

AmeriCOM supported Valencia College through its Light Up Your Future With Optics awareness campaign to identify and recruit students into the program. “My average student is 33 years old and looking for a career change,” McMorran said. For some students, the optics training program has been transformative. “I had two students with families who were in jobs making $13 an hour. Now they are in careers making $21 an hour with opportunities to make more,” McMorran said. “To see them thriving at work is the ultimate measure of the program’s success.”

The program’s impact on employers has also been significant. By the end of this year, 38 students will have graduated from the training program, each with OSHA-10, Laser Safety Officer, and Technician and Precision Optics certifications. Nearly all graduates have, or will have, jobs in the industry. “Employers keep coming back and asking ‘When is the next class?’ Students from the second and third cohorts are getting job offers from companies where previous students have already been placed,” McMorran said. “[Employers] recognize the value of the Valencia graduate.”

McMorran says the program’s early success highlights the need to continue growing. She anticipates graduating another roughly 115 students in the next three years, and expanding curriculum and training as optics technology continues to evolve. “We are going to have a world-class advanced manufacturing training facility that meets the needs of our optics industry,” McMorran said. “We’re also helping more students launch dynamic, fulfilling careers.”