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Co-op Student hire. Working out GREAT!

wrustle

Titanium
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Location
Massachusetts
Earlier this year we reached out to a couple of the local technical schools to see if they had any co-op student placement programs.

The schools in turn contacted us back and gave us their documentation to review, the requirements and paperwork we would need to provide and they explained in explicit detail how their programs work, and what is to be expected from us as an employer/teacher.

After deciding which school would be potentially a good fit for our location and our shop, we set up a meeting with one of the machine shop teachers. He came out to our shop, we showed him around, and explained to him what our needs were, and the desire to give a student the opportunity to get established in the trade they were choosing in school.

Being a small family shop, I personally felt it would be a great way to kind of give back to the community by bringing in a local student that we could teach on a more personal level, rather than being lost in a larger shop where the odds of becoming just a number rather than a part of the family environment would help them to become more of an accomplished and confident employee.

After filling out and submitting some paperwork for background checks, legal business documents, and proof of insurances, we waited for approval.

A week or two went by and the good news came back that we were indeed approved for a co-op student to begin a classroom slash working classroom program.

The program works as follows.

During the the school year, the student will spend one week of time in class at the school, and the following week, they would report to work for that week. The program is only available to juniors and seniors.

Since we were getting involved in this program late in the school year, (I believe we started the beginning of April) we decided on working with a junior, as a senior would only be available for just a few weeks before their school year ended, and there was no guarantee they would want to work for us once they graduated from school.

The school recommended a student to us and an interview was set up. The young man came highly recommended to us by the school as they were very proud of the fact that during a regional machining class competition he came in third for programming out of all the students, juniors and seniors.

In any event.........he came in to the shop, I showed him around, and explained everything I would be expecting of him, and everything I would be personally working with him on to help further his education in machining.

He started back in the beginning of May, and was working every other week for us, and doing very well. He was very knowledgeable, had a good work ethic, and eager to learn!

He knew pretty much all the basics, and there was not a lot I had to worry about. At school they have all Haas machines, so he knows the control inside and out. He instantly fit right in, knew how to run the machines, had basic set up knowledge, and could even do simple edits on the control without hesitation.

I was VERY impressed............especially considering the fact, here was a young man just coming to be 17 years old. Oh........and by the way, this was his second job. Yes.......this kid was now working two jobs.

How's that for work ethic!

Fast forward now to this very moment, and he has just completed his first full week of full time work in the shop! Yes, sir........I asked him a couple weeks ago if he was interested in staying on through the summer full time, and his reply was, "YES!". He even quit his other part time job in order to do so.

He has been a great kid. Always on time, always does a very good job, has a great attitude, and best of all, always wanting to learn more.............and as a bonus..........he's one of these guys that you show him something once............and he's got it! Very impressed!

He's been working on the VMC's since he started here and that's all he's done at school this past year, so just this week, I've spent the last few days with him with "hands on" training on our ST20 Cnc lathe.

After a couple of jobs with really close quarters work with the turret right up next to the chuck and him being a little nervous, I asked, "How do you like working on the lathe?" He turned to me all kinda red in the face due to some puckering going on while watching though the window and said, "I think I like working on the mills much better!"


I had a good laugh, he smiled, and went back to nervously watching though the window again with his hand hovering over the "Feed Hold" button.............you know...........just in case! :D



Here was the gang a couple weeks ago.

Dominic in the foreground, who actually just left a week ago to move back to Oklahoma with his family. He was a general shop hand (sawcutting, deburring, receiving, maintenance) and despite only being gone just a week, is sorely missed already!! Luckily I have a new replacement I just hired starting the day after July 4th so hopefully life will be good once again soon!!

Andrew over on the right running the VF-2SS, and Quinn, our co-op student on the left running the Samsung MCV400.


18920270_10211710650635409_2126222145420927665_n_zpsl0b6n1es.jpg










The other day Quinn came in wearing this T-shirt. I just had to get a picture while he was running our VFO.


Somehow, I get the feeling this guy is just going to be a perfect fit in the manufacturing environment!! ;)

Later,
Russ!


20170627_145751_zpsefblbngt.jpg
 
I am glad to see your shop is going good, its been a long time since we had contact, If I can still be of help like in the old this, let me know, I will be glad to help.
Good luck: Heinz Putz.
 
This is freaking awesome to read. I'm glad for you and for him. You're providing a chance that lots of young machinists will never get, and he's providing real help that lots of shops will never get from young guys. It's very definitely a win-win scenario.

I'm one of the lucky few who got to go through an apprenticeship with my employer, and it definitely opened up a world of opportunity for me, and it makes me sad that that opportunity doesn't exist for the majority of kids who may want to get into this trade.

You are making that happen. You are literally raising the next generation of machinists. Props to you for taking on the challenge and the responsibility.

This post makes my little cold heart feel kind of warm and fuzzy for once.
 
There are also big name college co-op programs.
Kettering (GMI) was built around this concept. The student goes to school one semester, works for you the next.
You grab 2 (or 4 or 6) , one for the each other off period and have great help.
Downside, they graduate after 5 years, become engineers then leave you for bigger bucks.
Upside you teach a future engineer to respect the floor and understand the real world of day in and day out machining while maybe getting literally "rocket scientist" level people for the 4-5 years.
Bob
 
if the young guy is that fatty on the left, he looks promising to me to become some kind of a serial killer :)

obvious that a young guy with a short learning curve may not decide to be a machinist :)

maybe he will choose the dark side ?

do you have better photos ?
 
is really necessary to call names... damn... take the post for what it is and if you dont have something nice to say shut the hell up dude.... and btw, been holding this in for awhile now but chill out with the :) :) :) makes you look like the serial killer..... i now feel better
 
is really necessary to call names... damn... take the post for what it is and if you dont have something nice to say shut the hell up dude....


I have to agree. I would feel pretty bad if my employee/student read this thread and saw that and thought for even one second that is the type of person I consider to be a friend. Very distasteful.
 
We have had mixed luck with high school coop students. If you've the right one with good work ethic, it can be a home run.
We have also had a couple who....let's say were way below home run status.

Congrats on winning the lottery.

We are very involved in coop. All our engineers started as coops from Wentworth.
 
That's awesome! Glad to hear it is working out well for the both of you. I lo e that shirt too.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
I liked your post. This is something I've talked about with a couple other shop owners. Glad to hear it can work out.

Too bad the dead pussy had to chime in. Just shows what a complete fuckwit he is. Must be a slow day in the AHole islands.
 
maybe i did not made my self fully understood :)

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i would pay caution seeing this in the middle of the night :)

he looks like that pizza delivery guy that kidnaps a girl ( it was a movie, but i dont remember the name )

... and obviously, i am joking, this is why i have asked for more photos :) maybe it was too hot inside the room and he was bored

i will be back with movie name :)
 
lets say something constructive : in last 3 years i have formed 10 guys on okuma machines, some remained, some left, but i am not complayning, and i try to keep same level of enthusiasm

to win the lottery, you have to play :)
 
maybe i did not made my self fully understood
See avatar guidelines sticky thread in the General Forum, plus location guidelines. Since I don't have time to keep checking back and forth, next time I see you haven't changed these (after a day or two) I will be forced to ban
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/cnc-machining/dinosaur-retiring-336344/#post2992038
Your opinion isn't worth pissing in your ear, if your brain was on fire.
How dare you, trickle up the Russ.
 
maybe i did not made my self fully understood :)

View attachment 202395

i would pay caution seeing this in the middle of the night :)

he looks like that pizza delivery guy that kidnaps a girl ( it was a movie, but i dont remember the name )

... and obviously, i am joking, this is why i have asked for more photos :) maybe it was too hot inside the room and he was bored

i will be back with movie name :)

Look, we all know why you really asked for more photos. And that's why we will all keep our kids and grandkids far away from you.
 
I haven't hired anyone from a trade school or high school machining program (I don't think we really have that here). However, I have hired youngins that show up on time and are eager to learn. All start out as shop helpers (sweep, debur, saw stock, etc.), if they are full time, show up on time, and are generally committed I train them first in SolidWorks then in HSMWorks and finally I start teaching them machining.

One of my best guys couldn't use a screwdriver or an air gun when he first started working for me, but the willingness to work hard, take detailed notes, and assume that he's probably making a mistake has lead him to be a great machinist (with no crashes to speak of).

The saying "hire character, train skills" is what comes to mind. In your case, sounds like you hired character and some skills, and you're teaching more skills.

:cheers: to giving the new guys an opportunity. It's a beautiful (and usually mutually beneficial) thing.
 
Awesome story, Russ. It's good to hear someone is having luck hiring machinists these days. We've had some pretty dismal luck lately with new hires.

If you get the chance, ask him where he got that t-shirt. I love it!
 
I'm happy to hear the NG is working out.

Now, if I may, WHERE CAN I GET THAT TEE SHIRT? (!!??!!):D
 
Look, we all know why you really asked for more photos. And that's why we will all keep our kids and grandkids far away from you

:) well, actually i asked for more photos, so to prove that i am wrong

in that photo, that guy looks prety spooky, but well, is just a photo

i guess that he will excuse me, and understand that i just joke, without meaning it :)
 








 
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