Reading and hearing about new career opportunities is helpful. But what if you actually could try them out as well? Moraine Park Technical College is offering a unique opportunity to do just that with its “Test Drive” workshops for welding and computerized numerical control (CNC).
Our CNC machining and welding Test Drive event is being offered at Moraine Park Fond du Lac campuses on December 17, 2019.
This Test Drive event includes hands-on, two-hour workshops for both welding and CNC. Both the welding and CNC Test Drive workshop will give attendees insight into these respective careers; chances to meet potential employers; and provide valuable, hands-on opportunities to try out these career areas.
Participants who attend Test Drive will also be able to learn about Moraine Park’s short-term training boot camp opportunities. These boot camps offer a unique training opportunity to potential candidates by providing entry-level skills as well as job experience from these 13- to 15-week sessions. CNC Machining and Welding Boot Camps begin in March 2020.
“Test drive is a great opportunity to get a hands-on experience in these high-demand careers, as well as talking to employers and learning about free training opportunities,” said JoAnn Hall, Dean of Economic and Workforce Development. “Past participants have really appreciated these short, intensive opportunities to get a real-world glimpse into these careers”
Space is limited for the Test Drive workshops, and pre-registration is required.
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) is a portion of manufacturing in which you control precision automated machine tools using a programmable computer. Due to this level of automation, machines can be operated with supervision of an accredited operator, increasing productivity and minimizing the possibility for human errors on a project.
Intrigued yet? Did we mention that Moraine Park as an opportunity for you to attend our CNC boot camp for free? Yes, free. This unique 15-week training opportunity provides individuals with entry-level skills and job experience.
If you’re looking for a new career, CNC might be for you and here’s why.
Manufacturing in Wisconsin is currently on the upswing. Combine this with how badly companies need CNC workers, and you should be able to confidently enter a college or trade school, knowing a job will be waiting for you when you get out. In fact, manufacturing currently offers more potential in this regard than just about any other field.
Are you saying, okay that’s great but what types of jobs can I get? According to our CNC instructor, Josh Geschke, there are numerous opportunities available.
“This is what I love most about the trade. There is a lot of overlap of skills between jobs so you can take your career in a number of different directions. With CNC skills and knowledge you may become any of the following:
CNC operator, set-up technician, conventional machinist, CNC machinist, programmer, die maker, mold maker, toolmaker, and supervisory positions
With additional schooling and experience you can enter the following careers that are related and support CNC.
Mechanical designer, engineering positions (mechanical engineer, manufacturing engineer, engineering technician), machine tool service technician; quality control technician/inspector; industrial salesperson.”
Do you want to learn more? Visit morainepark.edu/bootcamp or call Nikki at (920) 924-3334, she’ll tell you everything you need to know about this free, 15-week training opportunity.
Don’t wait! Registrations are currently being accepted for our next boot camp Test Drive on December 17, 2019.
Do you remember when manufacturing jobs were known as dark and dangerous? Moraine Park’s CNC/Tool and Die instructor, Jim Hokenson, has been working to eliminate that myth. He has a mission not only to train workers for this career field but also to re-educate the community on the realities of the industry.
“The truth is, our local manufacturers have clean factories with state-of-the-art equipment, “Jim said. “They provide a steady career with great benefits and an even better income.”
There’s no denying the importance of manufacturing in our world today, and for those that are gravitating towards this industry, it is all in the numbers.
“There will always be a need for a good tool and die specialist,” Jim said. “Once you have the manufacturing skill sets, you will find that there are jobs available all over Wisconsin.”
Jim has been with the College for 20-years and is also a Moraine Park alumni. During his time, he has worked hard to become established in the community, specifically with educating our youth on the manufacturing career options.
“The earlier we can introduce options, the better,” Jim said. “I think it’s important that we identify and build upon skills.”
His 2019 class has 17 second-year students, all of whom will be graduating with their two-year technical diploma. Most were hired in the industry before graduating and there are many more jobs to fill.
“It seems that we can’t teach them fast enough,” Jim said. “The employers we work with know the value of educating students with the essential real-world skills. We try to work alongside both the companies and students to find a good fit all around. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to teach and influence our local workforce.”
Congratulations to Moraine Park’s CNC and Electricity students on their accomplishments at the SkillsUSA national competition in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Automated Manufacturing Technology Team took 4th place.
The Industrial Electric took 4th place.
The Constructional Electric took 13th place.
The state of Wisconsin as a whole did exceptionally well. Of the 35 students who competed, 29 of them placed in the top ten and 19 of those were in the top five!
Another successful year, and congrats to Moraine Park’s competing students Zachary Rabideau of Jackson, Jarred Welnak of Germantown, Will Kraus of Jackson, Michael Schaefer of Juneau, and Noah Johannes of Fredonia.
Moraine Park Technical College held its spring Manufacturing Skills Academy graduation on Wednesday, June 12. The College had 21 students graduate from the program; eight from the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinist boot camp and 13 from the welding boot camp.
This program was designed to combat the skilled worker shortage by offering a variety of boot camp sessions. The boot camp sessions are free to participants, teach skills that are unique to a particular pathway, and connect students with area employers. The program also combines a 144-hour paid internship with coursework, including Occupational Math, Print Reading, Team Building, Problem Solving, and program-specific courses. Participating internship sites for this session were Amerequip Corporation, Apache Stainless, Generac Power Systems, Mayville Engineering Company, Miba, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Tobin Machining, Wabash National, Weasler Engineering, and X-Cel Tooling.
Moraine Park has had 377 participants in the welding and CNC boot camp programs since their induction in 2012.
The spring 2019 CNC graduates are Michael Adam Abitz of North Fond du Lac, Cory Fleischfresser of Fond du Lac, Dustin Marx of Fond du Lac, Troy Riehl of Fond du Lac, Deavin Schaub of Waupun, Nancy Sery of Hartford, Demetrius Smith of West Bend, and Kou Vang of Fond du Lac.
The spring 2019 welding graduates are Christian Bailey-Steenport of West bend, Peter Demmerle of Fond du Lac, Austin Fingar of Redgranite, Nathan Hankins of Chilton, Xavier Kitchens of Fond du Lac, Dimitri Lloyd of Fond du Lac, Ontarius McFerren of West Bend, Joshua Mikula of Plymouth, Armando Murillo of Fond du Lac, Taylor Nett of Fond du Lac, Shane Rau of Fond du Lac, Dani Schommer of Fond du Lac, and Bobby Wiercioch of Fond du Lac.
This year’s graduation speakers were Smith and Hankins.
Smith, a CNC graduate, is grateful for the experience Moraine Park gave him through the boot camp program.
“This program has opened many doors,” he said. “MPTC has given us opportunities that we otherwise would not have. This program was free, and it came with 16 college credits, so some would even say it’s better than free. Some of us will add on to what we’ve learned so far. I know I will.”
Smith served his internship at Weasler in West Bend and is now a full-time employee.
Hankins, a welding graduate, shared the story of how he thought the opportunity was too good to be true.
“I thought it was a scam,” Hankins said. “It’s so unique and unheard of that it’s nearly unbelievable.”
Hankins’s hesitations quickly faded, and he embraced the entire experience, noting that he made some lasting connections in the process. He completed his internship at Amerequip in Kiel and is a current employee.
“Be confident in your abilities, but don’t ever think you can just coast,” he said. “You don’t get to stop learning and trying just because you got a certificate or a job.”
Moraine Park’s Skills Academy boot camps are free to participating students, thanks to financial support from area businesses including Amerequip Corporation, Apache Stainless, Generac Power Systems, Mayville Engineering Company, Miba, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Tobin Machining, Wabash National, Weasler Engineering, and X-Cel Tooling.
Additionally, the welding training was partially funded through a GPR grant that incorporates both Adult Basic Education and welding. The purpose of this training is to allow students to complete both their High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) and the welding boot camp.
Individuals interested in learning more about the CNC and welding boot camp opportunities are encouraged to attend a Boot Camp Test Drive event scheduled at Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus on July 16 and 18, and the Beaver Dam campus on July 23. For more information, visit morainepark.edu/bootcamps.
The full photo gallery of photos can be found here.
Moraine Park Technical College’s Electricity and CNC Tool and Die students and staff are celebrating some major achievements at the 2019 Wisconsin SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference in Madison, WI.
ELECTRICITY
The electricity students participated in two categories; Electrical Construction Wiring and Industrial Motor Controls. The College earned a complete sweep of the top three spots in the Industrial Motor Controls category. Participants were Michael Schaefer of Juneau, first place; Daniel Sowin of Sheboygan Falls, second place; Anastasia Szczesny of Iron Ridge, third place. Also, Moraine Park student, Noah Johannes of Fredonia, earned the College another first place award in the Electrical Construction Wiring category.
“I’m very proud of their accomplishments,” Mark Wamsley, electricity instructor at Moraine Park said. “I have watched them grown and excel in their field. I look forward to watching them compete at Nationals.”
Schaefer and Johannes will represent Moraine Park Technical College at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Louisville, KY this June.
CNC
The CNC Tool and Die club representatives competed in two separate categories; Automated Manufacturing Technology and CNC Milling Specialist. Earning first place in the team Automated Manufacturing Technology category are William Kraus of Jackson, Zachary Rabideau of Jackson, and Jarred Welnak of Germantown. Isaac Schrage of West Bend competed in the CNC Milling Specialist category and achieved fifth place. Kraus, Rabideau, and Welnake will represent Moraine Park Technical College at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Louisville, KY this June.
SkillsUSA is the showcase for the best career and technical students in the nation. The philosophy of the event is to reward students for excellence, involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and keep training relevant to employers’ needs. More than 16,000 people are expected to participate in the NLSC weeklong event.
For more information about Moraine Park Technical College programs, like Electricity and CNC, visit morainepark.edu.
High School students from West Bend East recently visited Moraine Park’s West Bend campus for some hands-on learning. The students are enrolled in dual credit classes, which qualify for Moraine Park college credits.
West Bend East technology education instructor, Jacob Gitter, brings the dual credit students four times a year to the CNC/ Tool and Die lab to learn from Moraine Park instructors on equipment found in the industry.
When CNC student, Cory Schumacher, completed his semester project this last December, he couldn’t help but share his accomplishments on this personal Reddit feed. Little did he know, it would quickly climb to be the top post on machinist site. If you take a look at the image, and his quality work above, it should be easy to see why.
“The chess board was created in my advanced 3D milling and turning classes,” Cory said. “It was a combination of a few classes because of the time involved. That’s the only way something like this could come together.”
Jim Hokenson was the CNC instructor for this project. He created the drawings and prints for the chess board.
“Not every college is doing stuff like this,” Cory said. “I got to talk to people from around the country through Reddit and was told this from a few students at other colleges. It just goes to show you how good of a program Moraine Park has.”
Cory has his chess board proudly displayed, and he says it’s one of those things that he will keep for life.
“This was probably my favorite project we have made here to date,” Cory said. “It was also the most complex project we have made.”
His Reddit post so well received that he even had people requesting him to make more. He did state that the time and energy involved in this project is significant and that he doesn’t expect to create this chess board again.
“A project like this is the best experience you can get,” Cory said. “From the blueprint reading, programming, and setting the block up to be machined. You’re doing everything you would be doing in the workforce.”
As if 1/21/2019, Cory’s post still remains at the top, as the #3 top post of the year.
For more information on programs like CNC, visit morainepark.edu
Moraine Park Technical College held its bi-annual Manufacturing Skills Academy graduation on Thursday, December 13. The College had 23 students graduate from the program; 10 from the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machinist boot camp and 13 from the welding boot camp.
This program was designed to combat the skilled worker shortage by offering a variety of boot camp sessions. The boot camp sessions are free to participants, teach skills that are unique to a particular pathway, and connect students with area employers. The program also combines a 144-hour paid internship with coursework, including Occupational Math, Print Reading, Team Building, Problem Solving, and program-specific courses. Participating internship sites for this session were Amerequip Corporation, Apache Stainless, Fives Giddings & Lewis, Integrity Saw & Tool, Mayville Engineering Company, Metalcraft of Mayville, Mid States Aluminum, Signicast, Wabash National, and Weasler Engineering.
Since the induction of these sessions in 2012, Moraine Park has had 298 students graduate from the welding and CNC boot camp programs.
Those who completed the most recent CNC boot camp include: Darlene Anderson of Fond du Lac, Nicole Busack of West Bend, Robert Fisher of North Fond du Lac, Ryan Gaus of Fond du Lac, Cory Herrmann of Fond du Lac, Kyle Jenquine of Fond du Lac, Montgomery Kikkert of Fox Lake, Carissa Metz of Waupun, Rick Rodriguez of Fond du Lac, and Alex Russart of Fond du Lac.
Those who completed the welding boot camp include: Brennan Bryan of Fond du Lac, Nita Cook of Beaver Dam, Jennifer Donahue of Beaver Dam, Jordan Finley of DeForest, Dave Finn of Fond du Lac, Michelle Flanagan of Plymouth, Casey Hermann of Fond du Lac, Frank Huber of Juneau, Amy Mann of Fond du Lac, Noah Prost of Watertown, Cecilia Tovar of Beaver Dam, Jeremiah Vanderkin-Jus of Fond du Lac, and Brian Wilcox of Fond du Lac.
The graduation ceremony included speeches from students Busack and Mann.
Busack, a CNC graduate, is grateful for the experience Moraine Park gave her through the boot camp program.
“A lot of us have worked dead end jobs, and didn’t know our hidden potential,” said Busack. “Thanks to Moraine Park and our instructors, we all have a chance to find it. This has opened so many doors for a lot of us.”
Busack served her program internship at Signicast in Hartford and was hired full-time prior to graduation.
Mann, a welding graduate, came to Moraine Park in search of a career she could be passionate about. She completed her internship at Mayille Engineering Company (MEC) and was also hired on as a full-time employee prior to graduation.
“The boot camp program taught me that if there’s something I really want to accomplish, I can do it,” Mann said. “I am standing here today as a welder, a high school graduate, and a newly hired employee of Mayville Engineering Company.”
Moraine Park’s Skills Academy boot camps are free to participating students, thanks to grant dollars from Wisconsin Fast Forward and financial support from area businesses including Amerequip, Apache Stainless, Elkay Interior Systems, Fives, Integrity Saw & Tool, Inc., John Deere Horicon Works, John Crane, Mayville Engineering Company, Midstates Aluminum Corporation, Signicast, SJI/Busse, and Wabash National.
“We are very pleased to participate with Moraine Park’s CNC boot camp again this semester,” Paul Reetz, owner of Ingetrity Saw & Tool, Inc. said. “We have been able to gain quality employees who are advanced on the learning curve. The program teaches them to become a valuable member of our company by the time they become full-time employees at the end of the semester. It’s a rare win-win-win situation for all involved in the partnership!”
In addition, welding training is also funded, in part, through a GPR grant that incorporates both Adult Basic Education and welding. The purpose of this training is to allow students seeking their High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED), the opportunity to take the welding boot camp in conjunction. This training opportunity is open to anyone interested in pursuing their HSED.
Individuals interested in learning more about the CNC and welding boot camp opportunities are encouraged to attend a Boot Camp Test Drive event scheduled at Moraine Park’s Fond du Lac campus on January 23 and 24. Registration is recommended.
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