INNOVATIONS FOR BUSINESS
A New Generation of ‘Smart’ Textiles We are now in the era of not just rapidly expanding intelligent devices but also of intelligent materials. Porcher Industries, a global pioneer in highperformance thermoplastic composites and technical textiles, designs and produces innovative materials with properties tailored to highly targeted uses and recently launched a new generation of intelligent textiles. These fabrics can integrate functions into the fiber, such as illumination of certain zones, temperature measurement or detection of a remote presence. There are numerous opportunities for these ultra-high-performance materials in a wide spectrum of markets that include aeronautics, automotive, industry, construction, sports and leisure, and safety. With luminous textiles, certain zones in the fabric illuminate, so that shapes can appear or words can be written on them — without using cables or bulbs. This innovation would considerably increase safety for cyclists and motorcyclists by making them more visible, for example, through inserts on vests or jackets. For the construction sector, floor slabs will be able to integrate signage information that can be read directly on the floors or the walls, and can be modified remotely. For aeronautical and automotive markets, interior cabin design can be entirely revamped to improve customer experience, and there’s more. These new intelligent textiles can replace the arsenal of heavy, bulky cables and electronics, which is an incredible advantage for aeronautical, automobile and train designers in their continued pursuit of light and space. Heat-sensitive textiles, which can measure temperature, have a diverse range of applications, such as improved safety in industry, transport, HVAC engineering or construction. For example, alarm systems can be activated if a specific temperature threshold is exceeded in industrial pipes. These intelligent textiles are designed for seamless integration into industrial processes. Along with high-performance features, they are equipped with exceptional properties in flexibility, finesse, precision, lightness and durability. Porcher Industries porcher-ind.com/en
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Responding to what its Workforce Development Office identified as an immense need for information technology training, the Maricopa County Community College District will open its Maricopa IT Institute next month in the heart of downtown Phoenix at 640 North 1st Avenue, as part of Phoenix College. “The Maricopa IT Institute will support more than 30 certificate and degree programs in eleven different program areas that will meet workforce needs. This will be a place where new, continuing, or returning students can find and develop their IT skills and be readily employable,” says Maria Reyes, Phoenix College’s Dean of Industry and Public Service. In Maricopa County, there are at least 21 technology-based occupations that generate 8,750 new positions a year with 87,975 jobs already established. Arizona’s information technology employment opportunities are 15 percent above the national average. The MCCCD Workforce Development Office expects the pay in this profession to range from $26.09 to $53.21 per hour with a median earning of $38.60 per hour. Many professions would benefit from the IT institute. Among the professions with job demand and earnings above the median include computer and information systems managers, network architects, network and computer system administrators, software developers (applications and systems software), information security analysts and computer programmers. The Maricopa IT Institute at Phoenix College will serve as a collaborative space for all students in Computer Information Systems (CIS) classes, Microsoft Server Technologies (MST), and Information Technology Security (ITS) classes. The IT Institute will help prepare students for Arizona’s jobs of the future by utilizing cutting-edge tools that will help students familiarize themselves with vital technology before they enter the job market. The site will also serve as a convening location for workshops, industry advisory groups, meetups and networking functions. Classes will be offered during the day, evening, weekend, and in flexible formats, such as hybrid or online classes. The project received a $2.4 million grant this past May from the National Science Foundation. The funds will be allocated toward work-focused experiential learning in IT areas for STEM students. In collaborating with “Excelencia’s Seal of Excelencia,” Phoenix College joins a select few higher education institutions that will focus on accelerating the number of Hispanic students
with degrees by 2030. This year, 58 percent of the student body at Phoenix College is Hispanic. The school has been a melting pot of diversity in the Valley for 100 years now. The grant recipients will progressively facilitate the adoption of STEM evidence-based student serving framework at three urban and two rural Hispanic Serving Institutions, originating at Phoenix College. Principal Investigator, Maria Reyes expressed her excitement for this opportunity by saying, “We are eager to design this high-impact model that will build capacity to engage and retain Hispanic students throughout their higher education experience, as well as prepare them for STEM related positions in the workforce.” The multi-track design will focus on aligning priority areas and innovating cross-sector partnerships over a five-year time-frame, while placing an emphasis on capacity building through work-focused, experiential learning. This model aims to prepare underrepresented and under-served students to seamlessly enter the STEM workforce. On another technology-workforce front, MCCCD just last month announced a collaboration with Intel and the Arizona Commerce Authority to create Arizona’s first Artificial Intelligence certificate and degree program enabling tens of thousands of students to land careers in healthcare, automotive, industrial and aerospace fields. The Maricopa Community Colleges is among the first in the U.S. to train workers for the region’s driving demands in Artificial Intelligence technology, allowing access for more students to master skills valuable across many occupations and industry sectors and ultimately improving the nation’s workforce, economy and community. The AI program will begin virtually this fall. As physical distancing requirements are lifted and restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic lessen, classes will begin in-person at ChandlerGilbert Community College and Estrella Mountain Community College.
Looking at the broader occupational forecast, Arizona and Phoenix are projected to see 21,535 AI employment opportunities in 2020, which is 6 percent above the national average. Research done by MCCCD Workforce and Economic Development Office estimates an increase of 22.4 percent for these roles by 2029. cdn.maricopa.edu/documents/pdf/economic-impact/MCCCD_MainReport_1617_Finalv2.pdf
Photos courtesy of Porcher Industries (left) and Maricopa County Community College District (right)
MCCCD Is Committed to Expanding Our IT Workforce
TECH NOTES
JULY 2020
BY MIKE HUNTER
