Wallace State Industrial Electronics Instructor Joe Hendrix, left, is joined by Martin Stoeckman, the Director of Siemens Professional Education.

BERLIN, Germany — Wallace State Community College Industrial Electronics Instructor Joe Hendrix is currently attending the Siemen Mechatronic Systems Certification Program training at the Siemens Technik Akademie in Berlin, Germany.

The training is Level 2 for the certification of instructors in the “Systems Approach” to Mechatronics. Hendrix attended the Level 1 certification training at California University in Pennsylvania in June. The Level 2 training is a two-week course, focusing on the six courses that make up the Siemens Level 2 Technician requirements. The course is a train-the-trainer course where the method of instruction using the Systems-Down Approach is emphasized as opposed to concentrating on the specific material to be covered.

Level 2 Siemens Certification Training is only offered in Berlin at the Academy. Student instructors are taught by the actual instructors that teach the students who attend the Siemens Academy. The Academy is a very prestigious institution that has approximately 5,000 applicants per year for only 50 student slots that enter in October of each year. Students graduating the Academy have two choices. They may continue their bachelor’s (or beyond) degree at the University or can be hired directly as maintenance technicians.

Wallace State has partnered with the Cullman Area Career Center to offer Mechatronics training. This degree is a combination of Mechanical, Electrical/Electronics and Computers. Graduates from this program are typically entering the automation/maintenance career field that is a very much in-demand career. They will be maintaining, installing and repairing automated systems including robotics and automation controllers. Entry-level technician pay is typically $17 to $19 per hour with experienced technicians earning greater than $35 per hour.

For more info on Wallace State go to www.wallacestate.edu