Page 5 - Career Connections - Fall/Winter 2016

BCTC Fall/Winter 2016
High Skill and High Demand Leads to Immediate Employment
Precision/Computerized Machining Technology
Instructors: Mr. Eric Hopewell | Mr. Peter Hoffman – West Campus (Leesport) Employment Outlook
WHAT’S SO
COOL ABOUT MANUFACTURING?
To help create awareness about careers in manufacturing, Berks County’s mid- dle and junior high school students will be participating in the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing” video contest in October and November sponsored by the Berks County Manufacturers Resource Center, BCTC, and RMCTC in partnership with the Berks County Workforce Development Board.
Dominique Brophy (Twin Valley) operating a conventional lathe.
Gavin Austin (Kutztown) operating a Haas VF2-TR 5-axis vertical machining center.
Did you know manufacturing is Berks County’s largest industry sector by economic output and by employment? Did you know that BCTC’s Engineering & Manufacturing Technology Career Pathway offers six programs in state-of- the art facilities to prepare students for high skill and high demand careers in manufacturing?
Precision Manufacturing is the Lifeblood of our 21st Century Society
The machining industry utilizes precision tools and equipment to transform engineers’ and designers’ visions into finished products. Equipment and tools are used to shape plastics, metals, and other materials into parts, molds, dies, and other components used in millions of products we use every day.
The Precision / Computerized Machining Technology (PMT/CMT) program at BCTC focuses on skills that are in many high-demand high-tech modern manufacturing businesses in Berks County and beyond. In fact, graduates of the program often find immediate employment after high school with local companies.
According to the Berks County Workforce Development Board, Manufacturing is Berks County’s largest industry with over 31,000 people with average annual earnings of over $56,000 per year employed in over 500 companies.
A critical problem is that a large percentage of manufacturing employees are nearing retirement age. In fact, of the 31,000 workers, 54% are age 45 or older
and 25% are age 55 and older.
Because of the aging employee population, the Berks County Workforce Development Board is projecting that local manufacturing employers will need to hire at least 6,000 skilled and semi-skilled replacement workers by the end of 2025. The projected shortage of workers with key manufacturing skills translates into job opportunities for BCTC’s PMT / CMT graduates.
What Students Learn
Students begin their course of study with foundational conventional machine tool training and progress through more advanced topics including Computer Numerical Control (CNC) programming and Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM). Training also includes interpretation of engineering drawings and the use of precision measuring instruments.
The program has been recognized and
awarded the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) test site accreditation. Students have the opportunity to earn nationally recognized NIMS certifications that show their competency in different skill areas and give students a competitive edge when applying for employment.
For more information, contact BCTC’s West Campus Student Services at 610-374-4073 or visit www.berkscareer.com.
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