Students visit world of work

By Bill Robinson
Register News Writer

BEREA Sat, May 17 2008

— Students from seven high schools in Madison and four other counties got to glimpse the world of work Thursday as they visited Madison County manufacturing plants.
Sponsored by Berea College’s Gear Up partnership, the 2008 Manufacturing Fair took freshmen and sophomores from each school to two different plants.
In the morning, Berea Community School students saw, from start to finish, how small electric motors are made for vacuum cleaners, anti-lock braking systems and other uses.
They watched as metal sheets were stamped into concave covers, steel rods were ground into motor shafts and thin copper wire was spun around armatures.
Some jobs at the plant can be learned in as little as 30 minutes, but others can take months to learn, Shaun Canter, one of three plant supervisors on the tour, told the students.
“Some of you may think you stop learning or going to school after you graduate, but we’re learning every day, said Rob May, another supervisor.
Canter, May and Scott Abney said they company had paid for numerous continuing education courses each had taken at Eastern Kentucky University.
All three urged students to learn as much math as possible.
“Vocational and mechanical courses also would be helpful if you worked here,” May said.
Because it exports to other countries, Panasonic uses only the metric system. “You need to learn it,” Abney said.
Attention to detail and problem-solving skills also are important to Panasonic employees, the students learned.
Products are inspected closely to ensure quality, but when flaws are discovered, Panasonic employees must determine why, and then devise methods to avoid future problems.
While Panasonic will hire employees with GEDs (general education diplomas), “We prefer high school graduates,” human resources supervisor Monica Kidwell told the students.
Students from Madison Central and Madison Southern high schools took part in the tours, along with students from Estill, Jackson, Lee and Rockcastle counties.
In addition to Panasonic, NAACO, PPG and Tokico in Berea hosted Gear Up students.
GR Spring & Stamping, Lectrodryer, Okonite and RAPT in Richmond also were visited.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669, Ext. 267.