Curt Metz (right) of Lincoln Electric, goes over the welding simulator with Kaleb Brondaway (left) of Rome High School
GNTC student Beck Maxwell stands in front of the machine GNTC’s Career Pathways team created for the SkillsUSA statewide and national competitions. The team won the gold medal in the state competition and the bronze medal in the national competition.
Ronald Kowalchuk (left) and Trey “Clarence” Gore (left) were student volunteers for the Aviation Maintenance Technology section of Industrial Career Day
Regional high school students and members of the community had a chance to speak with representatives of Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) industrial programs, employers, and former GNTC students about the benefits of learning a skilled trade during Industrial Career Day on Thursday.
The day, a first for GNTC, was held to expose students to the many possibilities for future employment in the skilled workforce.
“Skilled trades are needed the world over.” said Scott Carter, director of Electrical Systems Technology at GNTC. “If you reach out and become a contractor you can do really well and the possibilities are endless.”
Approximately 400 people, including high school students from Calhoun High School, Cedartown High School, Christian Heritage High School, Chattooga High School, Dalton High School, Floyd County College and Career Academy, Rockmart High School, Rome High School, Rome Transitional Academy, and Trion High School attended the event.
The activities took place at Industrial Alley on GNTC’s Floyd County Campus. The alley is located adjacent to Buildings B, C, D and F which contain a majority of the college’s industrial programs. This provided a centralized location with access to most of the industrial labs on the Rome campus. Additional GNTC Industrial programs, that are not located adjacent to Industrial Alley, set up booths with activities and demonstrations relevant to their programs.
Industrial program directors were on-hand to discuss their programs and provide tours of their labs. There were demonstrations, simulators, and hands-on learning activities for the industrial programs offered by GNTC. Local employers and former students also spoke with participants about the benefits of learning a skilled trade.
Some of the industrial activities included a small car show hosted by the Auto Collision program, a Dynamometer (DYNO) demonstration with a hot rod presented by the Automotive Technology program, a hammer and nail competition by the Construction Management program, a welding simulator provided by the Welding and Joining Technology program, demonstrations by the Cosmetology program, and the Machine Tool Technology program provided a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) demonstration.
The machine that GNTC’s SkillsUSA Career Pathways team created, that won the gold medal at the SkillsUSA Georgia competition and the bronze medal at the national SkillsUSA competition, was demonstrated at the labs for the Industrial Systems Technology and Instrumentation and Controls programs.
Featured GNTC industrial programs included Air Conditioning Technology, Auto Collision Repair, Automotive Technology, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Commercial Truck Driving, Construction Management, Cosmetology, Electrical Systems Technology, Horticulture, Industrial Systems Technology, Instrumentation and Controls, Machine Tool Technology, and Welding and Joining Technology.
As part of the day’s activities, one of the qualifying rounds for the 2017 IDEAL National Championship took place in the electrical lab. The competition was a way to showcase the skills of electrical professionals, students, and apprentices. Winners with the fastest times from each of the 63 territories holding qualifying events are awarded tool kits and the opportunity to compete in the 2017 IDEAL National Championship. The national competition will be held Nov. 10-11 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Florida and over $500,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded.
Industrial Career Day was sponsored by Georgia Northwestern, City Electric Supply, Cahaba Sales Group, and the 2017 IDEAL National Championship.