Dyersburg State Community College Joins SACA to Provide Students with Industry 4.0 Certifications

DSCC joins the SACA to align education and training to meet the realities of Industry 4.0.

Dyersburg State Community College joins the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) to align education and training to meet the realities of Industry 4.0. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) describes the growing movement toward automation and information exchange in technology and developments within the manufacturing industry, including, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Cyber-physical systems (CPS), smart manufacture, smart factories, cloud computing, cognitive computing, and artificial intelligence.

Students completing the career and technical education (CTE) programs will soon earn SACA Industry 4.0 certifications, giving them a competitive advantage in today’s job market.

Today’s students face a far different industrial landscape than a decade ago. While automation technologies have been a commonplace for many years, the internet has brought about a convergence of new “connected” technologies that revolutionize industries worldwide.

Known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0, this latest disruption of the industrial world is resulting in reduced downtime and increased quality, productivity, and overall efficiency in industries of all kinds, thanks to advanced technologies that make up what is known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

IIoT technologies include advanced robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and machines, cloud-based data analysis, and cybersecurity. As companies increase their use of networks and Internet technologies, they connect more devices from smart sensors to smartphones.

While many certifications are available today that address isolated competencies, SACA certifications are different. For example, SACA’s Industry 4.0 certifications certify “connected systems” skills that address integrating the many types of advanced manufacturing technologies with Industry 4.0 technology.

Armed with SACA certifications, our students will be better prepared to succeed in an Industry 4.0 world. Students will be able to earn SACA certifications at the Associate, Specialist, and Professional levels in areas such as basic and advanced operations; robot systems; IIoT networking and data analytics; automation systems; production systems; and information technology (IT) operations.

SACA certifications use standards developed with input from industry leaders. Students can feel confident that their SACA certification endorses the knowledge and skills important to the industry. In addition, students will have the option of pursuing Silver (successfully pass a written knowledge exam) or Gold (successfully pass a written knowledge exam and successfully complete a hands-on performance assessment on approved equipment) certifications depending upon their coursework and hands-on skill development.