Welcome Precision Plus 2016-2017 Youth Apprentices and Interns
Fall has arrived, and with it comes Precision Plus’s new crop of youth apprentices and interns. This is our fourth year sponsoring youth apprentices from local high schools, including three students from Elkhorn Area High School (EAHS) and two from East Troy High School (ETHS). We also have an intern from the new CNC program at Gateway Technical College’s (GTC) Elkhorn campus. We are very excited to have these new faces in the building, as they learn the details of manufacturing at Precision Plus. Please join us in welcoming the next generation of manufacturing professionals from Walworth County.
Tyler Daehn, Youth Apprentice from EAHS
My name is Tyler Daehn, and I am currently a junior at Elkhorn Area High School. My extracurricular activities include track and field, and I used to play soccer. My favorite class is Entrepreneurship; I have always loved business and the regulations to all of it. My goal is to be a corporate lawyer, starting at Whitewater College and then moving on to Loyola College. I come from a large family, as I am one of six children. What I’m hoping to gain from my experience at Precision Plus is to learn to be professional in the work place. I enjoy learning something new every day and being part of the community.
Justin Ferrari, Youth Apprentice from EAHS
My name is Justin Ferrari, and I am a junior at Elkhorn High School. My favorite class would have to be physics because it intrigues me how we can measure motion. I have a pretty big family with four brothers and one sister. Every summer our family takes a trip up to our cabin for four-wheeling. In the future, I would like to go to college and eventually have a career working with CNC machines. Previously, I worked at a garage door company, and I enjoyed helping install the doors. At Precision Plus, I look forward to gaining experience working with various machines and strengthening my skills. In my free time, I enjoy building various things.
Will Sanchez, Youth Apprentice from EAHS
I am a senior at Elkhorn Area High School where I am involved in football, track, DECA, and FFA. My favorite classes have to be in agriculture sciences where there’s a deeper learning of things we’re surrounded by every day. I was born in New York, but I’ve moved around a lot, attending multiple schools. I love to travel and seeing new things. I come from a large, close-knit family that loves having fun. My goal is to attend a four-year college or tech school and continue to use my skills in manufacturing. Precision Plus is my first employer, and they’ve given me nothing but the best experience. I’ve been here since April of this year, and it’s been a great opportunity to gain as much experience as possible. I’ve enjoyed working in many areas of Precision Plus, and I would love to be able to explore even more areas to get an idea of everything that is done here.
Nick Balge, Youth Apprentice from ETHS
My name is Nick Balge, and I’m a senior at East Troy High School, where I’m very involved with both the band and shop programs. My main instrument is drums/percussion, and I play outside of school as well, being a part of numerous bands ranging from small rock and metal gigs to opening for national acts. I plan to go to school to receive a regular and an advanced welding degree, and I hope to someday own a small custom fabrication shop. I want to further my manufacturing knowledge at Precision Plus and apply what I learn to other activities and fields of work.
Jacob Starr, Youth Apprentice from ETHS
My name is Jacob Starr, and I am a junior at East Troy High School. I am involved with the outdoor club, and one of my favorite classes is metals. I like all the hands-on process and making things from scratch. My family and I enjoy camping with friends and other adventures. After graduating high school, I plan on attending a four-year college to become a mechanical engineer or a manufacturing engineer. I have had a few jobs, including asphalt seal coating, pier service, and small engine repair. My favorite of these was small engine repair. While at Precision Plus, I hope to learn everything that happens at a high-tech machine shop and gain useful work experience.
Kent Schopp, Intern from GTC
I graduated from Wilmot Union High School in 2013, and I now attend Gateway Technical College and plan to graduate in the spring of 2018. At first, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but then I took a tour of Precision Plus with GTC. I decided to enroll in the CNC program, and I plan to become a programmer when I finish. I have worked as a baker and a line cook, which are types of production, but nothing like CNC. I am enjoying my Fundamentals of Manual Lathe class where I am able to be creative and make whatever I want: wine stoppers, shift knobs, candle stick holders, and more. I enjoy seeing all of the departments at Precision Plus – QA, shipping, and all of the machining. I feel fortunate to be here, gaining the real-life shop experience that I don’t get in school, along with learning more about reading blueprints, using devices to inspect parts, and how to machine. Outside of school and work, I enjoy cars, snowboarding, fishing, and gaming when I have free time.
We are excited to welcome these young people to Precision Plus and give them real life, hands-on experience. Every year, it is wonderful to watch them grow and offer them an awareness of career opportunities in high-tech manufacturing. They always bring with them a great enthusiasm to learn and a bright outlook for tomorrow. To learn more about our Youth Apprentice and Internship Program, contact Mark Beilman, Director of Education and Training, at 262-743-1700 or by emailing him at beilmanm@preplus.com.
