12 • JANUARY 2010
CBIA News
Company visits spark interest in manufacturing careers
Field trips and open houses bring local students and manufacturers together
By Lesia Winiarskyj
The challenge, deManbey says, is convincing students and their families that
jobs in manufacturing exist—and that
they are rewarding in terms of both pay
and personal satisfaction.
CBIA writer/editor
Manufacturing makeover
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Partner with a school
near you
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Company visits are not limited to site
tours, and the benefits and learning ops they consider their career opportunities are not limited to students.
tions, freshmen at some of the
In fact, says Dayl Walker, sometimes it’s
state’s technical high schools
company representatives taking field
are getting a fresh look at the manufacSeeing is believing
trips to schools to see what’s happening
turing workplace. Field trips to local
One way of addressing the challenge is
in the classroom as well as discuss incompanies, coordinated by CBIA’s Eduthrough company visits, which allow
ternships and prospective job openings.
cation Foundation, are helping
young people to tour facilities,
Walker, a program director for CBIA’s
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raise interest in manufacturing
see their products and proR
Education Foundation, helped drum
and the coursework that will
cesses, meet industry execuup publicity for an open house this fall
prepare young people for
tives, and talk to employees
at Hartford’s A.I. Prince Technical High
in-demand jobs.
about their work. Through
School—where enrollment in the auto When they enter ConCBIA’s school-business
mated manufacturing program has grown
necticut’s technical high
partnerships, students have
in the last five years from only three
V
schools, ninth-graders emtoured Whelen Engineerstudents to more than 50.
EL
bark on a hands-on exploratoM ing, Delta Industries, The Lee
P
The event showcased the school’s
O
ry program during which they’re
Company, TRUMPF, Hobson and
automated manufacturing technology
introduced to various trades and techMotzer, and Ultra Electronics. They have
program, which boasts a new curriculum
nologies before choosing a single area of
seen manufacand stateinterest. “The manufacturing technoloturing floors
of-the art
gies draw fewer students than programs
that produce
equipment
such as carpentry and culinary arts,”
everything
to support it.
says Mary deManbey, program manager
from sirens
Connecticut
for CBIA’s Education Foundation.
and lightbars
manufactur “The perception,” she explains, “is that
for ambulancers—including
opportunities aren’t there, especially in
es to turbine
C & P Machine,
an economic downturn.”
exhaust cases
Whitcraft,
In fact, however, the anticipated retirefor aircraft.
Kaman Preciment of a large share of skilled labor—
“These field
sion Products,
with projections as high as 40% in the
trips have
Arthur G. Rusnext five years—means that there will
At Prince Tech’s open house, Jesus Montaivo (center) shows how
really had an
sell Co., Horst
a part is produced in 15 minutes on an older manual lathe before
be many available high-skill, high-wage
impact on
demonstrating how the same part is made in 30 seconds on a new
Engineering,
CNC turning center. Pictured from left to right are Horst Engineermanufacturing jobs.
my students,
and Southing’s Greg Boucher and Steve Livingston (background) and Kaman Precision Products’ Steve Johnson and Rick DeNicolo.
the majority
western Inof whom had
dustries—sent
never seen the inside of a manufacturing farepresentatives to tour the facility and its
cility,” says David Herrington, CADD departintegrated CAD-CAM classrooms, which
ment head at Vinal Technical High School
are part of Prince Tech’s recent $78 milin Middletown. “They’re truly eye-opening
isiting a school or hosting a comlion renovation.
experiences for young people trying to
pany visit can make a significant
“Manufacturing today is highly
determine their future careers in CADD
difference in students’ perceptions
computer-driven,” says Jim Clarke, head
[computer-aided drafting and design].”
of manufacturing and create a stronger
of the school’s automated manufacturing
Bonnie Brush, an instructor in the
pipeline of qualified workers. If you
technology department. “Our curriculum
school’s manufacturing technology
would like more information or help in
and materials can’t be ‘old school.’”
program, noted that after company visits
arranging a school-business partnership,
Prince Tech students, he says, are
last year, student interest swelled to the
e-mail mary.demanbey@cbia.com or
training with software that matches what
point that her freshman class was filled
dayl.walker@cbia.com.
they’ll find in the real workplace, such as
almost to capacity.
CBIA News
JANUARY 2010 • 13
AutoCAD 2009 and MasterCAM 9.1, which
er Jesus Montaivo, “were surprised at
he expects to upgrade to the X4 verhow much we already know and can do,”
sion by the end of the school year. As a
adding, “We learned how manufacturers
result of discussions with
use the same software and
manufacturers at the open
what add-ons they have.”
For updates on CBIA’s
house, Clarke says, the
Steve Johnson, fabricaschool has also secured a
tion shop supervisor at
education and workone-year subscription to
Kaman, was one of the
force development
SolidWorks 3D CAD design
guests at Prince Tech’s
software, another industry
open house. “I was very
programs, go to
standard.
impressed,” he said. “The
During the open house,
facility has the same setup
www.cbia.com/edf.
students were on hand to
as our own shop floor,
demonstrate their skills
with CAD/CAM designon MasterCAM, AutoCAD, and automated
to-manufacture capability, modern
CNC machines. Visitors, said tenth-gradproduction and inspection equipment,
CBIA’s Rathgeber appointed to state’s
Early Childhood Education Cabinet,
Employment and Training Commission
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the Connecticut Employment and Training Commission (CETC) with the Office of
Workforce Competitiveness. The CETC is
the governor’s principal policy board for
workforce investment—the education,
training, and retraining of Connecticut’s
C
ov. M. Jodi Rell has appointed
current and future workforce. The body
CBIA President and CEO John
is authorized by the legislature and apRathgeber to the state’s Early
pointed by the governor to oversee and
Childhood Education Cabinet. The
improve the coordination of education
cabinet was created to advise the
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R
governor on school readiness
Its 24 members include governissues, evaluate current school
ment officials and representareadiness programs, and assist
tives from business, labor,
in developing budget requests
community-based organizafor early childhood education
tions,
and the general public.
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programs.
The CETC’s responsibilities
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“John’s business expertise and
include
his passion for improving early child• Reviewing all employment and training
hood education in Connecticut will make
programs in the state to determine
him an invaluable member of this panel,”
their success in leading to economic
Gov. Rell said. “I thank him for his willingself-sufficiency
ness to serve on the cabinet.”
• Determining if such programs are serv Rathgeber will serve a term cotering the needs of Connecticut’s workminous with the governor’s or until a
ers, employers, and economy
successor has been appointed and has
• Coordinating the state’s employment
qualified, whichever is longer.
and training programs to avoid duplication and promote the delivery of
Employment & Training
comprehensive, individualized employCommission
ment and training services
Rathgeber has also been appointed to
• Developing incumbent worker, vocational, and manpower training programs to enhance the productivity of
Connecticut businesses and increase
the skills and earnings of underemployed and at-risk workers. ■
and GD&T [geometric dimensioning and
tolerance] training.” This is the way, he
added, to “teach the programmers and
machinists of tomorrow.” n
United Technologies Corporation funds Ms.Walker’s
work on creating partnerships between Connecticut’s manufacturers and A.I. Prince Technical High
School’s manufacturing technology faculty and
students and the state’s community college pathway programs. The National Science Foundation
Pipeline Project grant, which funds the technical
high school field trips, was awarded to CBIA’s Education Foundation and is a project grant working
with the Connecticut Community Colleges’ College
of Technology Regional Center for Next Generation
Manufacturing.
Noteworthy
Compensation
Facts
Latest Consumer
Price Index
Figures denote percentage change from
12 months ago in the Consumer Price
Index, a statistical measure of the price
of consumer goods/services purchased
by households.
n U.S.: All Urban Consumers
(October 2009)...................... -0.2%
n U.S.: Urban Wage Earners
& Clerical Workers
(October 2009)...................... -0.3%
n Northeast: All Urban
Consumers
(October 2009)........................0.2%
n Northeast: Urban Wage
Earners & Clerical Workers
(October 2009)........................0.2%
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau
of Labor Statistics
Connecticut Average
Weekly Manufacturing
Earnings
(October 2009). ......................$939.60 Source: Connecticut Department of Labor