MaryBeth Matzek: Manufacturing app powerful tool for workers, students

This is an excerpt from a column posted at BizOpinion

Jay Stulo, director of learning innovations at Fox Valley Technical College, simply calls GAMMA+ a “tutor in your back pocket” for manufacturers.

GAMMA+, which stands for Greater Advanced Manufacturing Mobile Apps, provides anyone with a smartphone, tablet or computer access to a series of tutorials and learning materials focused on a wide range of manufacturing skills. FVTC launched the program three years ago after receiving a $2.9 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to address gaps in manufacturing education. Today, the site has more than 500 short tutorials on a wide range of topics from basic math needed in manufacturing and how to write a professional e-mail to welding and machinist basics.

“All the tutorials are very short – just five or six minutes and are great for our students as well as people already working in manufacturing, but are looking for a refresher or trying to learn something new,” Stulo says.

During the past year, GAMMA+ registered 117,239 page views from 13,819 unique visitors. “We get hits from all over the world,” Stulo says. “We’ve gotten hits from all 50 states and 139 other nations.”

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