The American Association of Community Colleges bestowed Okuma with the 2026 Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership Award, which recognizes collaborative excellence between a business and a U.S. community college. Okuma was also recognized by the North Carolina Community College System with their 2026 Innovative Leadership Award, which honors a business that demonstrates innovative approaches in partnership with North Carolina community colleges.
The partnership between Okuma and RCCC began in 2021 with the establishment of the Okuma Machine Tool Academy (OMTA) at the college’s Advanced Technology Center on the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, N.C. OMTA bridges traditional education and modern manufacturing with high-level technical training through a variety of courses, such as electrical maintenance, mechanical maintenance, programming, and operation on CNC machine tools. OMTA houses several Okuma CNC machine tools for hands-on instruction, including a GENOS M460V-5AX (five-axis vertical machining center), GENOS L3000-e MYW (horizontal lathe), MA-4000H (horizontal machining center), and MULTUS B400II (multitasking lathe).
“We were honored to receive these prestigious awards, and equally honored to have an opportunity to work with the Rowan Cabarrus Community College Team to offer continuing education programs to workforce members within the manufacturing industry”, shared Natalie Rogers, Training Program Manager at Okuma. “Partnering with Rowan Cabarrus has enabled Okuma to elevate its classroom and hands-on training programs, allowing attendees to level up their skills, maximize impacts for their businesses, and advance the manufacturing industry. We couldn’t be more pleased with the partnership.”
Since its founding, more than 800 students have attended an OMTA course. These students represent world-class companies, including SpaceX, Harley Davidson, and more, from all over the United States and the world, positioning North Carolina as a leader in global industrial innovation.
For more information and a list of upcoming courses, please visit the OMTA webpage. To register for an OMTA course, please complete the interest form.
