Leslie Parady of MassMEP presented manufacturing certificates to McCann Technical students on Thursday with Wendy Storm, right, MACWIC vocational coordinator at MassMEP.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Dozens of McCann Technical School students have received Manufacturing Advancement Center Workforce Innovative Collaborative certifications.
Members of the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership and McCann community members attended a ceremony Thursday morning during which 38 students were awarded MACWIC levels one and two certifications.
"Congratulations to our students who have continue to work as hard as they can," Superintendent James Brosnan said. "This is not easy ... this is an incredible accomplishment."
The certification pathway provides testing designed to help manufacturers have a better understanding of the base competency skills of potential employees.
"Manufacturing continues year over year and has never stopped growing in the U.S. in spite of everything that you have heard," Leslie Parady, a manager with MassMEP, said. "We make parts that are smaller and harder to make. They are more intricate so you have to have more education to be able to do it and we want to make sure you have that foundation."
Through two tests, one taken in March and the other in May, McCann students were able to earn this accreditation. Students can begin pursuing Level 1 accreditation as sophomores and Level 2 beginning junior but only after earning Level 1.
Students who received Level 1 certification have proven themselves competent in areas including shop math, blueprint reading, measurements and quality inspection, safety, and work readiness.
Students who receive Level 2 certification have proven to have a basic understanding of Lean Manufacturing Concepts, CNC mill and CNC lathe operation, as well as GD&T and programming. Those students also earn the state Department of Labor Pre-Apprentice Certification.
CNC stands for computer numerical control, or operation of computer automated equipment, and GD&T stands for geometric dimensioning and tolerancing in relation to three-dimensional modeling.
Parady said the manufacturing field is forever changing and that students have to always be open to learning.
"As you go along you are never going to stop learning an you are never going to stop reinventing yourself as you get older," she said. "Manufacturing will change it will be something different 10 years from now but you guys are in an awesome position."
Parady then read a letter from the MassMEP President John Killam.
"Manufacturing is the backbone of the Massachusetts economy and it is important that we maintain the infrastructure and continue the pipeline of young people going into the industry," Killam wrote. "I am excited you have chosen this industry and you now have the opportunity to go out and get good paying jobs and have a career path."
State Rep. John Barrett III also attended the event and congratulated the group.
"You took an advantage to not only get a great education but also the foundation that will lead you to bigger and better things," he said. "This is not an easy school and it certainly is one of the finest in the state ... your parents have to be so proud of you."
A.J. Enchill from state Sen. Adam Hinds' office also attended and congratulated the students on the senator's behalf.
Earning Level 1 certificates: sophomores Connor Cirullo, Alahna David, Kyle DuPont, Connor Griswold, Dylan Hardaker, Damian Kivlehan, Gabrielle Montgomery, Dillan Morse, *Stephen Perreault, *James Pinckney, Gabrielle Schneider and *Grace Towler; juniors Brooke Larabee, Taylor Lavanway, Vanessa LeSage, Nathan Piantoni and *Dalton Tatro; and seniors Destiny Charron, Evan Crews, John Daub, Austin Davine, Drew Romaniak and *Caleb Rondeau.
Earning both Level 1 and 2 certificates: juniors Dana Canales, David DeBlois, *Braedon Delmolino, Andrew Levesque, *Chase O'Dell, Christopher Rose, Devon Ryll-Spencer, *Derek Torres, ^Elijah Vallieres and seniors *Hannah Blake, *^Hope Blake, *Jacob Newton, *^Samuel Parks, *Alexander Pinckney and *Rutger Thurston.
Students scoring at least 85 percent in all five Level 1 areas and four of the Level 2 areas receive challenge coins: *denotes Level 1 Challenge coin recipient; ^denotes Level 2 Challenge Coin recipient.
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