Industrial Maintenance Grant Class Graduates

 

WABASH COUNTY, Ind – Grow Wabash County and our workforce partners are pleased to announce that the first Industrial Maintenance certification class, as part of Wabash County’s Workforce Development grant, graduated at Ivy Tech Community College in Wabash on Monday, December 4th.

 

Seth Losher, one of the students to graduate and receive certifications from this grant program, told the audience, “I’ve been working with my hands since I was a pup but knowing how to use a wrench is not the same thing we were taught in this course. Altogether the course made me a better maintenance man and gave me a greater understanding of how machines work. Probably the biggest takeaway from this course is figuring out why things go wrong and finding the root cause of any issues.”

 

At the graduation celebration, participants each had a speaking role and showed the audience their final project they created which was an automatic can crusher. Graduates included: John Blocher, Troy Bone, Andrew Gillespie, Seth Losher, Andrew Pegg, Doug Pegg, Christopher Snyder, Ronald Spicer, Robert Votaw. Most of these graduates passed and received certifications from this course that included OSHA – 10 card and over half of the class received the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC) Certified Production Technician Certification.

 

“We are pleased to add these skill sets and certifications to our workforce here in Wabash County,” said Keith Gillenwater, President and CEO of Grow Wabash County. “Our employers are demanding these skillsets in today’s economy so Grow Wabash County and our workforce coalition answered.”

 

Gary Hall Industrial Trainer, Ivy Tech Community College Northeast said,” It was a real privilege to work with these fine workers for the Wabash area. Ivy Tech is providing a great opportunity for anyone who is interested working hard to receive great compensation for much needed skills one can obtain in the area of Industrial Maintenance. Project based learning gives people a chance who are good with their hands. There is book work too, but hands on learning is the best way to learn for some.”

 

 

Wabash County residents can gain an advantage by earning these free industry-recognized certifications. If others are interested there is another round of opportunities to enhance your career in the manufacturing industry by participating in free training and certification programs in Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machinist, Welding, or Industrial Maintenance. Manufacturing employs more people than any other industry in the state of Indiana and here locally in Wabash County, and there is high demand for skilled manufacturing employees.

 

 

Training courses are going on now through the end of 2018 in Wabash County and are free to qualified applicants thanks to a grant awarded to Grow Wabash County through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and our partnering agencies: Northeast Indiana Works, Huntington County Economic Development, Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation, Workone of Northern Indiana, Wabash County Commissioners, and the Community Foundation of Wabash County.

 

 

Classes are forming now and will be offered at convenient locations nearby including: Ivy Tech Community College Wabash Campus, Heartland Career Center, Huntington Learning Center and Ivy Tech Orthopedic & Advanced Manufacturing Training Center in Warsaw.

 

Interested applicants must be residents of Wabash, Huntington, or Kosciusko County and need to go through a simple application process to be eligible for this free training opportunity. The next round of classes will start early in 2018. To find out more about this great opportunity or to have any questions you may have answered, please contact Tenille Zartman at Grow Wabash County via phone at 260-563-5258 or by emailing her at tenille@growwabashcounty.com.

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