Calhoun Community College will host an informational session for the Alabama FAME (Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education) program at 5:30 p.m. today at Phase III of the Robotics Technology Park on U.S. 31 North, across from Calhoun’s Decatur campus.

The Alabama FAME Advanced Manufacturing Technology program incorporates an Associate of Applied Science degree in Advance Manufacturing with two years of paid industry experience for students enrolled in the program.

Each year, approximately 15 students are selected to be a part of this exclusive program. Selected students are offered an opportunity to work with one of the FAME program sponsoring companies which include Asahi Kasei, Brown Precision Inc., Bruderer Machinery, EFI Automotive, GE Appliances, Georgia-Pacific, Packaging Corporation of America, Polaris, Snap-on Tools, Sonoco and Toyota.

The FAME program is ideal for students who have a high interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) or who have participated in activities such as the BEST Robotics Competition or Project Lead the Way. Students interested in applying for the FAME program must test into credit-bearing math and English courses based on their ACT or Accuplacer score.

Once enrolled in the program, students start working with their sponsor company during the summer prior to beginning their Calhoun coursework in the fall. While not guaranteed, there is the option for sponsor companies to hire students upon graduation from the college.

The program boasts a 100 percent in-field placement rate for graduates seeking employment. Students have the potential to graduate with an AAS degree in Advance Manufacturing and two years of industry experience and without any school-related debt.

Interested students can apply through Calhoun’s website at www.calhoun.edu/fame until 11:59 p.m. on March 15, 2019. For more information, email fame@calhoun.edu or call Kelli Morris at 256-306-2602.