Forest City Gear, a Roscoe manufacturer of precision gears, has experienced a successful partnership that could become a model for other manufacturers. This summer, they employed four recent high school graduates. What set these interns apart from many others is three of them are participants in the Winnebago High School’s Winnovation Robotics team and a fourth is a participant in Hononegah High School’s Project Lead The Way. A fifth student, an engineering major from Bradley, has been part of the “Small Engine Repair Project”. Forest City regularly employs young students as interns in their high technology manufacturing operations.
Kika Young, Forest City’s HR Director, says that these students have a leg up on others because of their involvement with robotics. The robotic teams design, manufacturer and drive their robots and compete in several regional tournaments. Winnovation has gone as far as competing in national tournaments. Students who have already been exposed to using Computer-Aided Design (CAD), machining parts, make the transition to a shop like FCG’s much easier than those students without this type of background. Being around machines that make things also gives them the experience of using their school learned math skills.
Having a good partnership is key for students to get experience and the company has the opportunity to hire them back on a permanent basis once completing high school and or college. “We need more of these type partnerships; more business need to reach out and hire these type students” says Young. The Hononegah student recently graduated and will be attending college in the fall. The three students from Winnebago will all be returning to college in the fall and graduated from Winnebago in the last couple years.
Locally, robotics teams are active in Winnebago (Winnovation), the Rockford Robotics team operates out of the Eigerlab while the Boone County Flaming Monkeys is the newest arrival. New robots begin their design and manufacture right after the new year begins and competitions commence in the spring.
For manufacturing companies looking to add youth that already have some good technical exposure and interest, look no further. This is a great way, that requires nominal investment, to attract high potential, motivated new employees.
Find your local robotics team and hire them on!
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Nice article and Kika’s comments are so true. Young people with a flair for math, physics and, by extension, engineering must be shown the upsides of a career in manufacturing. That’s how the industry will not only survive but thrive in today’s competitive environment. American companies can still do it better and smarter than anybody else, but we’ll need to convince the next generation how true that is…and how profitable it can be!
In full disclosure, we’re the ad/PR agency for Forest City Gear and five other manufacturing companies in the Rockford area. FCG is a world-class gear company that’s admired by many for always using leading edge technology and nurturing that next generation of engineers and machinists, for they are truly our future.
Tim Daro
President
Bernard & Company
Indeed: Involving pre-engineering students as well as those that show interest in technician work is a smart investment in the future … I believe that kids can also bring a fresh perspective to established companies … with their questions and un-indoctrinated creativity and so on …
Tim;
Thanks for your comments. FCG is a world class company that sets a great example on many issues especially with young students.
We have been extremely impressed with these young men, who have willingly accepted the jobs we have sent their way from doing operational drawings, to floor layouts, working on various machines under the tutelage of our mentors. In exchange we think we have given them a taste of high technology manufacturing which we hope will serve to entice them into a career in manufacturing. Perhaps they will be encouraged to return and learn more about gears durng their school breaks.
Fred Young CEO
United Technologies, parent company of Hamilton Sundstrand, now offers special consideration to internship applications from members of robotics teams.
http://careers.utc.com/FIRST/Index.asp
Yet another opportunity for students in these programs.