TeCMEN Aerospace Cluster and UWF Training Solutions

The University of West Florida and the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County are committed to retaining and expanding its aerospace manufacturing and engineering related industries and maintaining a technologically skilled workforce to support continual growth.

West Florida's Emerald Coast is home to the 20-year old Technology Coast Manufacturing and Engineering Network, a regional aerospace cluster known as TeCMEN. This is a group of interconnected companies, municipalities, the Workforce Development Board of Okaloosa and Walton Counties, higher education centers, and research institutions linked formally by the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County and the University of West Florida.  A group of 37 firms meets monthly to discuss issues related to technology transfer, new business, contract-teaming, and training needs. Guest speakers at TeCMEN meetings include aerospace researchers and business leaders, most of whom live and work nearby. Several national research institutions include TeCMEN in published reports:

1. A Compendium of Clusters in Less Populated Places, Ford Foundation 2007.

2. Clusters and Competitiveness: a New Federal Role for Stimulating Regional Economies; Blueprint for American Prosperity, Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program, April 2008.

3. Beyond Clusters: Current Practices & Future Strategies, Duke University and Regional Technology Strategies, October 2005 by S Rosenfeld.

4. Product and Service Innovation,The Georgia Institute of Technology, June 2006.

5. Other States Incentives to Attract or Encourage Aerospace Manufacturing, Rosa Maria Moller, Ph.D., California State Library, June 1999.

The EDC and UWF were awarded a WIRED grant to support several TeCMEN training programs between March 2010 and September 30, 2010. Education and training increases our region’s ability to attract, manage, and sustain a variety of contracts and projects on the Emerald Coast.  Improving the workforce increases the value of our region’s products and services.  Many aerospace engineering and technical organizations recognize the value of TeCMEN Training as an effective way to achieve business results for private and government contracts. This training compliments existing TeCMEN meetings that began more than 20 years ago. Here is a summary of several recent events funded by the WIRED Grant:

• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Supervisory Skills for Technical Teams
• Professional Certification in Process Improvement with UWF and CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration)
• Negotiations Skills for Team Leaders.
• Team Building for Supervisors and Managers
• Dealing with Difficult Employees
• Personal Organization and Time Management
• Motivating Employees

For more information about UWF and TeCMEN training events, contact: Nicole Gislason (UWF) or Jim Breitenfeld (TeCMEN Manager)