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Youth CNC Boot Camp Opens at Elkhorn Gateway Technical College in July of 2015

Michael Reader

Exciting career educational opportunities are coming to Elkhorn, Wisconsin in Walworth County with the launch of Gateway Technical College (GTC)’s Youth CNC Boot Camp Program at their Elkhorn Campus, which is scheduled for July 13, 2015.

This is a great opportunity for high school senior students who are at least 17 years old at the beginning of the 2015/2016 school year. There is no cost for the program for students residing in Walworth, Racine or Kenosha counties in Wisconsin. Applications must be received no later than May 1, 2015. Two information sessions are scheduled for March 11th and 25th.

According to GTC’s Deborah Davidson, V.P. Workforce & Economic Development Division, the institution has worked with local employers to “develop, design and deliver” a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machine Operator Boot Camp, based on the needs of employers—who are integral to the success of the program.

The CNC Boot Camp begins with in-class instruction, followed by lab time, and culminating with students operating CNC machine equipment like that found in industry. “The curriculum includes courses such as applied mathematics, blueprint reading, machine shop safety, precision measurement and CNC production runs,” explained Ms. Davidson in a video about the program, recorded when it first launched in Racine in 2013.

The first six weeks are spent in the classroom and end before Labor Day. Then, during the school year, students attend regular classes in the morning, and then go to GTC’s Elkhorn Campus CNC Lab from 12:30 until 4:30 in the afternoon.

The youth/high school program is exactly the same as GTC’s Adult CNC Program, but it has been designed to work with the students’ school schedule.  An adult CNC Boot Camp has also been planned for the Elkhorn facility, with details to come.

On February 24, 2015, Deborah Davidson, sent the following informational email:

Dear Walworth County Friends,

In an effort to expand programming opportunities in the Walworth community Gateway Technical College and our partners at the Job Center, WECDA, local businesses and schools met to discuss the inclusion of students in Walworth County to participate in the CNC Operator High School Boot Camp. Piloted in Racine in 2013 and offered again in 2014, we are pleased to open up the programming to both Walworth County and Kenosha County in the summer of 2015.

 In an effort to eliminate transportation barriers for high school student participants, and based on input from Walworth County employers and school administrators Gateway will offer a High School CNC Boot Camp at the Elkhorn Campus beginning in July 2015! Boasting a 95% job placement rate from our 20+ adult Boot Camps, we are convinced that this program will meet the needs of area employers.

While there is much work to do to make this Boot Camp a reality; we are confident that by offering this in Walworth County we are providing students with access to innovative programming that leads to great manufacturing careers. These students will serve as an employment pipeline while building a strong foundation for their future.

Please help us spread the word to the parents and students by inviting them to attend one of the following information sessions:

 Wednesday, March 11th at 5:30pm and Wednesday, March 25th at 5:30 p.m.                                                                                                                                            

 Walworth County Job Center
Gateway Technical College 
Elkhorn Campus
South Building
400 County Rd H
Elkhorn WI 53121

If you are an employer, please consider serving as a mentor/worksite sponsor for these students as they go through the training and the internship. We are delighted with the outreach we have experienced to date but it will take all of us to make this program a success.

Precision Plus joins other businesses, organizations and the community in welcoming GTC’s Youth CNC Boot Camp to Elkhorn.

Precision Plus Offers Two $5,000 Scholarships for 2015/2016 Incoming MSOE Freshman ME Students

Michael Reader

Through March 13, 2015, Milwaukee School of Engineering’s (MSOE) Financial Aid Office will accept applications for the $5,000 Precision Plus Scholarship, available for up to two qualified students.  These scholarships are made available to 2015/2016 incoming MSOE Freshman Mechanical Engineering students. A series of criteria must be met in order to qualify to be considered for the scholarships, including participating (if offered) in a paid summer internship at Precision Plus following the school year.  The scholarships are renewable, providing the recipients fulfill all the criteria.

For complete information, please click here.

Chinese Educators Visit Precision Plus To Learn About Classrooms Within Manufacturing Facilities

Michael Reader

On Tuesday, February 10, 2015, a delegation of educators from the AMIO International English Schools located in the City of Weifang, Shandong, China, visited and toured Precision Plus  Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training, facilitated the tour.

AMIO’s Principal Ms. Haizhen Wang, teachers Ms. Xiuxiang Wu and Ms. Xinhua Feng,  and Marketing and Recruiting Manager Ms. Chongjuan Han, were led by Mr. David An, AMIO’s Managing Director. The delegation came to the Elkhorn, Wisconsin area to observe how high school classes are conducted in the U.S.

AMIO International English Schools have an impeccable reputation not only for teaching the American English language as a skill, but also for their notable efforts to understand native customs, traditions and the semantics that go along with learning the language. AMIO is a private school based on the educational initiatives of DynEd.

The delegation stopped at Precision Plus to learn about how the company combines hands-on training and disciplined onsite classroom teaching.

Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus Continues His Commitment Closing the Manufacturing Skills Gap, by Serving as a Corporate Member of the MSOE Board

Michael Reader

In October of 2014, Precision Plus’ President Mike Reader was welcomed as one of the newest corporate members to join the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s (MSOE) Board.

MSOE Board is comprised of representatives of business, industry, government and education, which “governs the operations and the future planning of the university through a series of standing committees.” Above all, MSOE’s Board of Regents and Corporation members consider the relationship between industry and the university “a hallmark of MSOE.”

As a member of the MSOE Board, Reader reiterates his commitment to closing the manufacturing skills gap by strengthening the ties between education and real world high-tech manufacturing.

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) ranked 14th Best Undergraduate Engineering Program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Other interesting “by the number” information about the school can be found here.

Precision Plus’ Barry Butters Continues His Visits to Area Schools to Bring Manufacturing to the Front of the Class

Michael Reader

In November and December of 2014, Precision Plus’ Director of Education and Training Barry Butters continued on his mission to visit area schools to bring attention to the viability of manufacturing as a career option for today’s youth.

On November 3, 2014, Butters joined forces with Zach Ford from Scot Forge to make a presentation to a group of students at Richmond Burton High School in Illinois. Although Scot Forge and Precision Plus are on opposite ends of the spectrum with regard to the size of the parts they manufacture, both companies seek similar traits in future employees. Both Ford and Butters reiterated the importance for students to master soft skills–such as having a positive work attitude and respecting punctuality, as well as focusing their studies on STEM and pre-engineering courses that would contribute to their technical preparedness for jobs in manufacturing.

Butters also visited the Arrow Academy on November 11th, Burlington High School on December 2nd, and Westosha Central High School on December 9th, making presentations to their individual technical education classes. During his presentations, Butters delivered the same soft skills and STEM-focused classes’ message. Additionally, he explained the nature of the precision metal turning industry and demonstrated the CAD/CAM software used at Precision Plus to design parts and program CNC machines. Butters was happy to learn about Westosha Central High School’s plans to remodel their entire technical education facility beginning this summer.

Butters also participated in mock interviews at Elkhorn Area High School for Mrs. Joanne Pella’s Business Occupations class. “I give honest feedback to the students concerning their appearance and application materials from a manufacturing employer’s perspective. Often I am just reiterating what Mrs. Pella has already told them about the interviewing process, but having someone from outside the school repeat it, reinforces the message.” Several students have responded by sending letters of appreciation to Barry Butters.

Precision Plus invites any individual or group interested in learning more about the manufacturing industry to contact Barry Butters or Mike Reader or call 262-743-1700. We can set up informational tours of the facility and/or travel to speak to any group about the manufacturing industry. Precision Plus welcomes your comments and questions.

Precision Plus Continues to Support Area High Schools and Technical Colleges by Being Part of their CTE Advisory Committees

Michael Reader

Precision Plus currently serves on several career and technical education (CTE) high school and technical college advisory committees. Typically, the committees include advisors from area businesses, educators, and community and professional associations, who strive to strengthen curricula as well as the partnership between all of those involved.

On December 9, 2014, Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus and Barry Butters, the company’s Director of Education and Training attended a CTE meeting at Beloit Memorial High School. At this regularly scheduled meeting, school representatives appraised their business partners on the status of courses, curriculum and overall participation by the students, while manufacturers reviewed workforce related issues and suggested course offering revisions that would help to address these issues.

On December 10, 2014, Butters and Reader attended two CTE committee meetings: the Elkhorn Area High School meeting, and the Gateway Technical College Elkhorn Campus meeting.

At the Elkhorn Area High School CTE committee meeting, school representatives also sought the input of their business partners to develop a curriculum that best addresses key industry needs.

These changes are being discussed in anticipation to a major remodeling of the technical education facilities at the high school. Chris Trottier, their principal, led these discussions, explaining the school’s goal to prepare students to take full advantage of new industry opportunities as they become available. On December 15, 2015, Barry Butters will be part of a presentation to the School Board on the committee’s recommendation.

Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at Precision Plus, who also serves on the Facility Advisory Committee for the Elkhorn School District, confirmed that a recent survey shows overwhelming support by the community for this remodeling project and the technology education opportunities that could be derived from this undertaking.

At the Gateway Technical College Elkhorn Campus CTE committee meeting, advisors convened to take action on a grant proposal for nearly $500,000 to expand the CNC offerings at the Elkhorn campus. Currently the CNC offerings are only at the Racine campus. A successful outcome, would result in the remodeling of the technical education wing to host equipment for CNC machining. The results will be known in March.

The CTE committee meeting was also attended by three representatives from Haas Automation, as well as a number of representatives from area manufacturers.

Beloit Middle School Students Apply STEM Principles and Ingenuity to Build a Working LEGO Robot

Michael Reader

On November 24, 2014, Shaun Zinck of the Beloit Daily News reported on an initiative by a group of middle school students, led by engineering teacher Tammy Spoerk and mentored by high school students. The group is called cyBER (Community Youth Beloit Engineering Robots), and is composed by students from three area middle schools.

The goal of the team was to participate in a FIRST LEGO League competition with an innovative working design project. The outcome was a robot built out of LEGOs and programed to avoid obstacles in front of it (via installed sensors) and perform a series of tasks.

The students earned a standby spot for the state sectionals. Prior to building the robot, the students developed a concept for communicating with other students throughout the world with the aid of a cardboard projector.

Precision Plus directly supports this initiative. Ryan Rewey, Career and Technical Education Director at the School District of Beloit, wrote: “Thanks for your donation to our FLL team, we are continuing to build our program and could not do it without the guidance from our dedicated industry professionals who understand the importance of the industry and education connection.”

Read the full article here.

Precision Plus’ Barry Butters Participates in the Burlington Area High School Career Fair in Burlington, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

On Friday, November 7, 2014, Barry Butters, Precision Plus’ Director of Education and Training, participated at the Burlington Area High School’s Career Fair. Precision Plus’ table was visited by many students who were interested in pursuing STEM-related careers (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

Butters had some components manufactured by Precision Plus at hand to demonstrate how crucial small components can be in all types of applications. Butters also addressed the opportunities of a career in manufacturing.

Precision Plus appreciates the opportunity to be part of the fair and looks forward to the next one.

To Celebrate Manufacturing Month, Precision Plus in Elkhorn, Wisconsin Welcomed Five Area High Schools for Plant Tours

Michael Reader

One hundred and forty-one students and eleven chaperones from five area high schools visited Precision Plus of Elkhorn, Wisconsin during the month of October 2014, to celebrate Manufacturing Month and learn about the industry and the company. MFG DAY 2014 held earlier in October, had kicked off the month-long event. The schools in attendance were Delavan Darien High School and East Troy High School on October 16th, Elkhorn Area High School and Lake Geneva Badger High School on October 23rd, and Tenor High School on October 27th.

The tour began at Precision Plus’ classroom with personnel introduction, a PowerPoint presentation about the history of the company and the role of a contract manufacturer, followed by a demonstration of the software used at Precision Plus, and a video showcasing the trajectory of a part from concept to completion. After a question and answer session, the students took a plant tour. Upon returning to the classroom, students had another opportunity for Q&As and received a PMPA pen/flash drive with information about CNC training and career statistics.

Precision Plus received several notes from the schools, reiterating the importance of such opportunities for students who are evaluating their future career possibilities.

Precision Plus Participates at the Milwaukee School of Engineering 2014 Career Fair

Michael Reader

Each year, Milwaukee School of Engineering holds a career fair open to all majors. The 2014 MSEO Career Fair took place on Friday, October 10th. Precision Plus was one of over 200 companies exhibiting at the event for the purpose of recruiting and meeting students one-on-one.

Both Mike Reader, President , and Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training, worked the booth, along with Mike Reader, Jr. who is presently attending the institution.   Mike Jr. is one of five former Precision Plus’ interns/apprentices who are currently enrolled at MSOE.

The conversation with students was non-stop, making the event highly successful with nearly 40 applications received specifically from those majoring in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology.

Precision Plus is planning to more than double its current capacity by next year, and is currently hiring for various positions.

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