The Alabama Community College System (ACCS) is known for its excellence – from the leadership of its administration, faculty and staff to the accomplishments of its students in the classroom and court.
One realm where Alabama’s community colleges have recently succeeded is the Project Manufacturing (Project MFG) National Advanced Manufacturing Clash of Trades national competition. Project MFG annually hosts a tournament-style skills competition designed to attract the next generation of machinists, welders, programmers, mechanics and fabricators.
In 2024, Calhoun Community College prevailed as the Project MFG Advanced Manufacturing national champion, taking home the grand prize of $100,000. Central Alabama Community College (CACC) was also among the finalists, advancing to the Project MFG Final Four.
Flip the page to this year and CACC’s team is back in the Project MFG Clash of Trades Final Four behind student team members Jorge Rojos and Ashton Williams, both Sylacauga natives.
They are guided by Patrick Murphy, CACC’s Precision Machining Instructor and Technical Division Chair.
While CACC’s main campus is in Alexander City, the Machine Shop program is hosted at the Childersburg campus.
Rojos and Williams both served as machinists/programmers throughout this year’s competition, and both were also members of the 2024 team that competed on the national stage.
This year’s Project MFG Advanced Manufacturing field began with 205 competitors from 60 schools across 44 states and two Canadian provinces.
CACC’s team thrived through every competition and is among the four teams in the nation still standing.
The 2025 Project MFG national champion will be announced on Friday, August 8, and if CACC prevails they’ll bring the title home to Alabama for the second straight year.
“The bar has been raised inside this program, and the bar being raised is becoming the standard. Each team who competes for us in the Project MFG competition each year expects to accomplish more than the previous team did,” Murphy said. “I think the biggest thing is we see a different type of student today than when I was enrolled in this program. We’ve grasped and embraced the new technology available, and our students approach it with a competitive mentality. They want to be challenged various ways.”
Rojos, 25, recently graduated from CACC with a machining degree and is always up for those challenges.
“Project MGF makes it as real. You get a blueprint on the floor, and you’ve got to produce. You have time constraints. You might have work order changes. It might not be the most perfect environment. You’ll have challenges to work through. There are real life situations thrown at you, but a work order must be completed,” Rojos said.
CACC initially dipped its toe into the Project MFG waters in 2019 during a prototype event hosted at Auburn University.
After taking a break in 2020 because of COVID-19, the college has fielded a team for the competition each year since.
Instant success has followed.
After the qualifying round was conducted online for this current cycle, Rojos and Williams led CACC to a Project MFG Eastern Regional title at Cape Fear Community College in March.
At the Project MFG national competition national event, hosted at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Ill., CACC and its three competitors spent three days on the floor fabricating components for a CubeSat, a miniature satellite used in space research.
The first day was spent programming and the final two days were used to machine the parts, combining precision machining, 3D printing and real-world innovation.
“It’s like any game-type atmosphere. It’s about execution. Our goal was to execute and be efficient and look for approaches to think outside the box,” Rojos said. “I think having the Project MFG experience in 2024 helped. You understand what to expect and push yourself harder to return. You also see a lot of familiar faces you know are going to present a challenge.”
Murphy praised CACC President Jeff Lynn and Michael Barnette, Dean of Workforce and Economic Development Programs, for their continued support of the initiatives and competitions the Machine Shop program undertakes.
“Because of that, we have been blessed to have students who want to work hard and put in the extra hours required to be a national championship contender. You can’t understand the dedication required until you put in the extra time. Their work ethic inspires me,” Murphy said.
Project Manufacturing National Advanced Manufacturing Clash of Trades will upload its national competition final on YouTube Friday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m. To learn more about the Clash of Trades competition and teams visit https://www.youtube.com/@ProjectMFG.
For more information about Central Alabama Community College’s Machine Shop program, visit https://www.cacc.edu/programs/machine-shop.
