Lewis Cass Polytechnic, Ivy Tech partner to train students for the future
Last Updated on March 6, 2026 by Cass County Communication Network
Robotics/engineering pathway readies students for Industry 4.0
KOKOMO, Ind. – Area high school students have a great opportunity to prepare for well-paid, highly qualified jobs with a future through a career pathway focused on engineering and skilled trades that is being offered by the Lewis Cass Polytechnic Academy and Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo.
Efforts are underway to recruit students for the program, known officially as “Industry 4.0: Smart Manufacturing” at the high school level and “Smart Manufacturing and Digital Integration (SMDI)” at Ivy Tech. The program is open to students from Lewis Cass, Northwestern, and Maconaquah high schools.
“Regardless of the terminology used, Smart Manufacturing or Industry 4.0 is the future of manufacturing,” said Mallory Claypool, executive director of the Lewis Cass Polytechnic Academy. “It’s a modern approach to production that uses advanced digital technologies to monitor, analyze, and optimize manufacturing processes. And this educational pathway can prepare students for careers in tomorrow’s industry.”
According to Rich Ravas, associate professor of Automation, Robotics & Engineering Technology at Ivy Tech and instructor in the Lewis Cass Polytechnic partnership, this college pathway gives students an unprecedented early exposure to robotics and automation technologies while still in high school.
“This offers a good mix of technical rigor and practical ‘hands-on’ learning,” Ravas said. “This sets an early framework that can lead to highly paid careers in electrical, mechanical, robotics, and controls automation – roles as engineers, technicians, and skilled trades that area manufacturers will require as they expand their use of these new technologies.”
Claypool said the partnership with Ivy Tech Kokomo allows students in the two-year program to meet Indiana’s new high school diploma requirements while earning up to 15 Ivy Tech credits and industry-recognized credentials at the same time. The program consists of dual credit college courses taught by instructors credentialed by Ivy Tech and partially satisfies requirements for both the Honors Plus and the Employment Plus diplomas recently established by the State of Indiana.
Significantly, the Smart Manufacturing curriculum is embedded with credentialing through the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA), a non-profit organization that offers industry-recognized certifications developed to create international skill standards in the modern manufacturing processes known as Industry 4.0.
The Academy has been offering career and technical education for high school students in the former Galveston Elementary School since 2018. Over that time, dual enrollment pathways tied to Ivy Tech have been growing and currently include programming in Early Childhood Education, Criminal Justice, Healthcare Specialist (CNA), Human Services, and Engineering, as well as Smart Manufacturing and Digital Integration.
To learn more about the program, contact Mallory Claypool at claypoolm@lewiscass.net or call 574-626-3000.
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region