This technician training program leads to a certificate in Advanced Manufacturing & Integrated Photonics. It is a partnership initiative designed to equip participants with the skills and experience needed to thrive in this burgeoning market.
Photonics, the study of light-based technology and other applications of optical science, is rapidly expanding. But the supply of qualified workers is inadequate to fulfill industry hiring needs, particularly personnel involved in assembly, quality control, testing, repair and technical work.
This certificate program – offered by the Stonehill-Bridgewater Partnership for Integrated Photonics in collaboration with MIT’s Knowledge and Innovation for Manufacturing Initiative – is designed to equip program participants with the skills and experience needed to thrive in this burgeoning market.
This certification is a 15-month, 27-credit program to prepare students – with little or no background in the field – for careers as technicians in the integrated photonics industry.
The Certificate program offered by the Stonehill-Bridgewater Partnership for Integrated Photonics is supported by a $770,000 sub-grant as part of a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Office of Naval Research grant to MIT’s Knowledge and Innovation for Manufacturing Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Students in the program come from many backgrounds, from those who are college bound to those who are changing careers. The certificate program will benefit traditional college students who could earn both an academic degree and a technical certificate in integrated photonics, a big advantage when seeking employment after graduation. The program also holds promise for students at community colleges and vocational high schools as well as workers seeking retraining, veterans entering the private sector and underrepresented populations.
The three-month apprenticeship requirement lasts the entirety of the final semester. Through a concurrent capstone project, students gain practice at applying the skills learned in previous courses and develop workplace experience and industry contacts helpful when it comes time to move into the workforce. Apprenticeships help to guarantee that students are leaving graduate school with skills that employers desire.
This integrated program is consistent with the partner schools’ deep commitment to high-impact, experiential learning. It incorporates theoretical and applied approaches to physics, business and/or engineering. Students will apply their training in a capstone project of their choice to create or improve a relevant product or process.
Our students are already working in the field across Massachusetts, including exciting start-up ventures. Here, you get the hands-on experience and know-how in everything you will need to gain well-paid positions in the fast-growing photon- and light-based economy.
