BAINBRIDGE – Students in the Bainbridge-Guilford School District who aren’t college bound may still have in-demand career opportunities ahead of them, thanks to a new partnership between the school and Amphenol Aerospace of Sidney.
In January, B-G rolled out its machinist training program, a curriculum designed for students to pursue high-paying, high-demand jobs in the field of skilled labor. The program trains B-G juniors and seniors the crafts of manufacturing, print reading, precision measurement, metallurgy, machine operation and computer programming.
The goal, said course instructor Israel Lorimer, is to prepare students to gain entry level employment at a machine shop by teaching them the ins and outs of executing a project from concept to finished product. And considering the demand for machinists at nearby employers such as the Raymond Corporation, Upturn Industries, Amphenol, and of course several smaller machine shops throughout the region, students will have a leg up on getting a good job right out of high school.
“The population of students we’re serving is a population that I feel isn’t served well. The push has always been to get kids into college, but not everyone needs or wants to go to college,” said Lorimer. “This provides those types of students with another chance at a career.”
Although the program is in a classroom setting, Lorimer explained the class is a replicate machine shop with two band saws, two milling machines, three lathes, and a computer numeric control (CNC) mill to produce parts.
The program is sustainable only through the help of Amphenol. While the school district provides the workshop space, Amphenol has pitched in equipment and tools, and offers one of its own employees to work directly with Lorimer during instruction and curriculum development.
In turn, Amphenol gets a broader pick of skilled laborers to choose from.
“The experience kids get here is important,” said Lorimer. “If an employer has a choice between someone without experience and someone with experience, they’re going to give serious consideration toward the person with experience.”
“These are high intelligence students, but book learning might not be their strenth and they don’t plan to go to college. They can still be a productive member of society who deserves more than a minimum wage job,” said District Guidance Counselor Nanci Miller. “It’s a hard working population that we know will be productive and we want to provide the opportunities for them to be that.”
While still a new initiative, hopes are to turn the machinist training program into a two-year offering for B-G students and possibly for students in neighboring school districts. New resources might also be added including 3D printers and laser engravers for prototyping, and a plastics lab for students. The concept is unique to B-G in that students get hands-on training in an educational setting and are also offered internships with nearby manufacturers.
“We are proud that through a partnership with Amphenol, we were able to figure out what their needs were to benefit them as well,” said B-G Superintendent Don Wheeler. “It’s a good collaboration.”
Wheeler added that continuing monetary support from Amphenol will help maintain the program while the district continues to work parts of the program into its own budget.