Page 17 - MetalForming June 2011

relationship between companies and students where the long-term goal is to create well-equipped, next-generation employees. Kettering’s program has stu- dents alternate between classroom semesters and serving in co-op posi- tions aligned with the student’s major.
Apprenticeships, co-ops and struc- tured internship programs fuel our future workforce, but we need to make the effort today. We need to tune-up our sales pitch and appearance if we are to appeal to a younger audience. And we must work to collectively change soci- ety’s impression of manufacturing and trade-related careers. People too often have a negative association with man-
ufacturing, and believe that taking this path is not rewarding or valued by soci- ety. Changing this mindset will take time, and we need to start at home with how we present our trade organ- izations, our businesses and ourselves.
With PMA being a manufacturing- centric organization, I feel that we should aspire to do better, and be an example for other industries. We can start by resurrecting skilled-trades
apprenticeship programs within the manufacturing membership ranks. We must recruit young people to the met- alforming industry through the PMA Educational Foundation. This should take the form of a multifaceted mar- keting campaign including updated content and improved presentations on its website (www.pmaef.org), and a multiple media strategy that includes mobile and social media. MF
The Business of Metalforming
connect everywhere
Network your factories and offices with SmartPAC 2 and LETS (Line Efficiency Tracking Software)
Take advantage of
SmartPAC 2’s built-in Ethernet connectivity to communicate over your network.
Send and receive text messages, display setup sheets stored on a central server, back up your tools to a remote location, and view pressroom status over the network and internet. When you connect your equipment to LETS, you can collect production data, feed critical parameters reports automatically, view machine status in real time, and schedule a prioritized job queue for each machine.
To learn more about Wintriss Controls, please call 1-800-586-8324 or visit www.wintriss.com. ®2011 Wintriss Controls. All rights reserved.
Impressions from
a Kettering Student Cullen Horachek,
Chemical Engineering Student
As an intern I have gained much and contributed in many respects to the company that I have worked for. I co-opted in the plas- tics industry and was an essential team mem- ber in many projects dealing directly with customers, product testing and research. Some of the research that I participated in has allowed the company to develop different polymer formulas suitable for the customer’s application where previously the company had no market presence. Also I worked on con- verting some of the impact testing machines in our lab by adding an environmental cham- ber that allowed the company to test at neg- ative temperature using liquid nitrogen. This ability for the company to test materials at such low temperatures has opened up new business opportunities and eliminated the associated costs of contracting an outside company to conduct such tests.
Internship and co-op program students get real hands-on experience and learn a great deal from a term spent in the work- force. We are able to apply what we learned in the classroom while gaining a solid grasp of industry and learn its “ins” and “outs” making us feel more comfortable with the future transition to fulltime careers. A student that graduates having experienced an intern- ship or co-op not only is able to eliminate the “lack of experience” road-block during initial hiring but also is able to more quickly con- tribute to the business. Such graduates already have a good idea of what is expected of them. They are able to more quickly con- tribute and push the boundaries of their jobs. Companies that wish to hire specific interns after they graduate have the unique opportu- nity to guide the student in their course of work and study. This can smooth the transi- tion from student to employee and provide a higher probability of the student delivering immediate benefits to the company.
www.metalformingmagazine.com
MetalForming/June 2011 15