Kent ISD — Fred Longcore looked over an array of items made by Kent Career Tech Center students Jackson Sytsma and Sam Teesdale during their year in the precision machining program and picked up the king from a chess set Jackson made.
The South Christian senior told Longcore about the challenge of making such a piece.
“These took a hot minute, because they are 5.5 inches on 1-inch stock, so you can imagine the chatter those things are trying to give you,” Jackson said as Longcore examined the king chess piece.
Longcore, a plant manager for Betz Industries Inc., acknowledged the difficulty of making such a tall piece out of a 1-inch piece of metal.
Longcore and students were participating in advisory day, an annual event in the precision machining program that brings together industry representatives and Tech Center students.
Students were stationed at tables in the lab classroom at the Tech Center with their projects on display. Advisory committee members met with each student, who presented four projects along with their attendance records. Committee members evaluated students on achievement, degree of difficulty, initiative, project appearance and accuracy.
“This event offers students valuable experience in an informal mock interview setting,” instructor Jon Sarver said. “It also provides a great opportunity for companies to meet potential future employees who may be a strong fit for their organization. Additionally, their feedback helps guide our program by highlighting strengths and identifying skills that may need further development.”
Longcore, a 1993 Kenowa Hills graduate who completed the Tech Center’s engineering program when he was in high school, said his primary goal is to get a sense of students’ interest in the field while assessing their interview skills, such as eye contact and being able to hold a conversation.
“I want them to know that I am here as a mentor no matter where they go,” Longcore said. “If they need some advice, need to bounce something off someone or just need to talk, I’m available as they begin to build their careers.”
He said demand for precision machinists continues to grow.
“These guys have the best chance to be successful in the field if they start young,” he said. “We need to spark that interest.”
Jackson, who was one of six to receive the program’s tool kit scholarship, said precision machining is the career path he plans to pursue. He added he has been working at Stampede Die & Engineering for the past three years.
“This has been the perfect environment to develop the skills needed to be in the workforce,” Jackson said.
In front of him were a number of items he had created during his time in the program.
“These are just the projects I was able to actually take home,” he said. “I made so many other projects, but I kept giving them to people, like keychains. I made this little steel block with the Alabama logo on it, and I made a bunch of stuff for Christmas. I just had a lot of fun with it.”
‘To have people in the industry visit, it shows that all the work we are getting done is being noticed.’
— Lowell junior Keith Tett
Learning From the Expert
Jackson’s classmate, senior Sam Teesdale, also made a lot of items for Rockford’s lacrosse and hockey teams, on which he played.
Sam said he enjoyed working on different machines, and showcased his knowledge of computer numerical control and manual machines as he talked about the items he made, including a hammer and a small Stanley Cup trophy.
Both Jackson and Sam asked Longcore several questions about the industry. Longcore shared some of his own history, the industry’s history and what it was like working in the field.
Lowell junior Keith Tett said he enjoys working with his hands and has family members in the field, some of whom have worked at Betz with Longcore.
“To have people in the industry visit, it shows that all the work we are getting done is being noticed,” Keith said.
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