Precision Plus’ Update on Education & Training
With the school year in full swing, traveling to middle and high schools has been a main priority of Precision Plus and Director of Education and Training, Mark Beilman. We continue to lead the charge for American manufacturing and workforce development, helping to cultivate talent here in our own community.
Technical education programs at Beloit High School and Delavan High School recently had their advisory committee meetings. Attendees of the Beloit committee met at Regal Cutting Tools, located in South Beloit. Terry Schindler, technical education metals instructor, had a very detailed meeting agenda to discuss everything from field trips to curriculum planning. The meeting ended with a tour of Regal Cutting Tools facility, which is quite an impressive operation! The Delavan advisory meeting was also very productive, focusing on the revitalization of the automotive program at the high school, a possible business/student project for the auto shop, and also the return of technical education to the middle school.
Mark Beilman had a great time answering questions from the eager students at East Troy Middle School!
Beilman also had a chance to visit East Troy Middle School. Questions about engineering and manufacturing from about 75 students over two days kept him on his toes, as the middle school students are always so inquisitive and entertaining. Beilman says talking and presenting to eager-to-learn middle school students is definitely one of the best parts of his job.
We also had the opportunity to host Whitewater High School for a visit to Precision Plus, so they could tour our facility. This was setup by the Walworth County Economic Development Association (WCEDA), as part of their manufacturing outreach efforts. The students were great and definitely impressed with our facility and capabilities! To learn more about WCEDA and what they do for Walworth County business, you can visit http://www.walworthbusiness.com/.
The team at Precision Plus is also quite pleased with our youth apprentices, as well. We currently have three students from Elkhorn Area High School and two from East Troy High School. Four of the apprentices are enrolled in the manufacturing pathway, and one is enrolled in the informational technology pathway. All of the students have been progressing each week and learning several areas on our production floor. We are pleased with their enthusiasm to learn as much as possible and to help make a difference wherever they can. It is invigorating to watch the interaction between the students and their mentors and knowing that we have such wonderful young people working for us.
GTC instructor Rich Shouse goes over the day’s agenda with Precision Plus employees and students Matt Enger and Kent Schopp.
At Precision Plus, we are also supporters of lifelong learning. We are proud to have three employees currently enrolled at Gateway Technical College, working toward their CNC diplomas. Taking several classes while still working full time is not easy and can involve pulling some late hours, but they have been doing a great job!
With the new year quickly approaching, Precision Plus looks forward to new opportunities in education and training, and we feel ready to handle any challenges that come our way. We continue to be committed to the manufacturing industry and doing our part to educate and train the manufacturing experts of the future.
