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Iowa Western Community College Receives in-Kind Software Grant from Siemens PLM Software Valued at $65.2 Million

"We are grateful to Siemens PLM Software for its commitment to advance educational opportunities for our students in Iowa," said Gov. Branstad. "Today's grant announcement is exceptionally valuable because it helps us train our students for tomorrow's jobs on one of the best engineering design software available."

The in-kind software grant made through Siemens PLM Software's GO PLM initiative, which includes training and specialized software certification programs, will enable IWCC to begin a design technology program to help meet the growing demand for a well trained, well qualified workforce. The design technology program will prepare graduates to enter the workforce in a high-demand career field or transfer to a four-year institution to complete a bachelor's degree.

This unique, first-of-its-kind program brings together industry and academia to define program requirements that will help meet the needs of the marketplace. IWCC created an industry advisory board which, in addition to Siemens PLM Software, includes management team members from a variety of global manufacturers that call Iowa and Nebraska home, including Rockwell Collins, Inc. The input received from the industry advisory board was used by IWCC in conjunction with representatives of Iowa's regent institutions to create a curriculum to provide advanced hands-on training that will help enable students to effectively enter the workforce following graduation. The new program will be offered at Cass County Center in Atlantic, Iowa, following renovations.

"The design technology program being developed by Iowa Western Community College is important to industry because of the emerging importance of PLM in managing the overall design process from concept, to manufacture, to product support, to product retirement," said Dale Wulf, Manager, Mechanical Design Support, Rockwell Collins, Inc. "This is becoming a critical skill as products increase in complexity and design cycles continue to compress. With the implementation of this program by IWCC, employers will have another resource to draw qualified employees, who are familiar with PLM to fill a potential skill gap, which is projected to be increasing with the pending retirement of the baby boom generation."

"Iowa Western is pleased to be able to partner with a global corporation that is on the leading edge of technology deployment and utilization," said Iowa Western President Dr. Dan Kinney. "The college could not initiate this program of studies without the support of this state-of-the-art technology from Siemens PLM Software. This partnership will enable the college to meet the needs of employers and prepare students for these significant high-paying careers in design technology."

"Siemens PLM Software provides Iowa Western access to PLM technology, which otherwise would be out of reach for the academic community, giving students a distinct advantage by being able to use the same PLM technology widely-used by leading multi-national manufacturing companies around the globe," said Dan Malliet, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Siemens PLM Software. "The experience gained in the use of these tools better prepares students for today's highly-competitive manufacturing jobs requiring full knowledge of modern technologies and tools."

The new software, which will be incorporated into the curricula, will introduce students to product design and development technology used by many of the world's leading manufacturing, architectural and construction companies. The coursework will help prepare students to develop technical drawings and plans to build everything from microchips to skyscrapers.

The range of software includes Siemens PLM Software's Teamcenter software, the world's most widely used digital lifecycle management solution; NX software, a comprehensive digital product development solution; and Solid Edge software, the core CAD component of the Velocity Series portfolio, a comprehensive family of solutions addressing PLM needs of the mid-market.

GO PLM Program

Siemens PLM Software's Global Opportunities in Product Lifecycle Management (GO PLM ) initiative leads the industry in the commercial value of the in-kind grants it provides and brings together four complementary community involvement programs focused on academic partnership, regional productivity, youth and displaced worker development and the PACE (Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education) program. GO PLM provides PLM technology to more than one million students yearly at nearly 10,800 global institutions, where it is used at every academic level - from grade schools to graduate engineering research programs. For more information on GO PLM and the partners and programs it supports visit www.siemens.com/partners/goplm.

About Iowa Western Community College

Iowa Western Community College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and offers two-year college transfer programs and more than 80 career programs to residents in a seven-county merged area. The college's main campuses are located in Council Bluffs and Clarinda with other centers situated in Atlantic, Harlan, and Shenandoah. Degrees granted include the Associate of Arts, Associate of Applied Science, and Associate of Science. A diploma or certificate is granted upon the completion of selected programs. Full-time equivalent enrollment in 2010-2011 was 6,800. Adult and continuing education enrollments exceeded 40,000 during the same period.

About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services with 6.7 million licensed seats and more than 69,500 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with companies to deliver open solutions that help them turn more ideas into successful products. For more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit www.siemens.com/plm.

About Siemens Industry Automation Division

Siemens Industry Automation Division (Nuremberg, Germany) is a worldwide leader in the fields of automation systems, industrial controls and industrial software. Its portfolio ranges from standard products for the manufacturing and process industries to solutions for whole industrial sectors that encompass the automation of entire automobile production facilities and chemical plants. As a leading software supplier, Industry Automation optimizes the entire value added chain of manufacturers - from product design and development to production, sales and a wide range of maintenance services. With around 33,000 employees worldwide (September 30), Siemens Industry Automation achieved sales of €6.2 billion in fiscal year 2010. www.siemens.de/industryautomation

Note: Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. GO PLM, NX, Solid Edge, Teamcenter and Velocity Series are trademarks or registered trademarks of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.

Siemens PLM Software
Salim Rahimi, 972-987-3206
salim.rahimi@siemens.com
or
Iowa Western Community College
Don Kohler, 712-325-3262
dkohler@iwcc.edu