Manufacturing Certification Available to High School Students Seniors across Mayes County will soon be looking for jobs. Good jobs. With great pay and benefits. And most of them have no idea that those jobs can be found outside their back door within the manufacturing industry at MidAmerica Industrial Park. But one does. Jeffrey Helmuth, a senior at Pryor High School and one of the recently announced Valedictorians of the 2015 graduating class, knows those opportunities exist and he wants to stay
here. “Some people want to pack up and leave home after high school. I really like Pryor and Oklahoma and have no desire to move away from everything I know. I chose to take this class because there are lots of job opportunities in the Mid-America Industrial Park that have good pay and room to grow. This class can help me get there and faster too. I would love to be able to find a life-long career in the Industrial Park and raise a family in the place that I’ve called home for my whole life.”
“This class” is the Certified Production Technician (CPT) certification program at OSUIT’s Advanced Training Center in the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor where Jeffrey is also receiving high school credit while participating in the semester-long program. OSUIT now offers this nationally recognized certification thanks to a grant from the Department of Labor that focuses on technical training for workers to achieve high-skill, high-wage jobs. The CPT certification program exposes students to critical areas of manufacturing including Safety, Quality Practices, Manufacturing Processes and Maintenance Awareness. Not only do students get exposure, but also
the opportunity to demonstrate that they’ve learned basic standards within each area through an assessment. This knowledge provides a solid foundation for front-line production jobs. Once a student passes all 4 assessments, they receive the Certified Production Technician certification, a nationally-recognized, industry-validated credential from the Manufacturing Skills Standards Council, as well as the opportunity to interview with our local employer partners. The CPT program is open to adults and high school seniors. Tuition is currently free due to the grant, which will end in 2016. The total cost of the program is $330, which includes registration, 4 assessments and the book. Scholarships and alternative funding is available to those that
qualify. This training is a great workforce development tool for industry as well. New employees' competencies are validated and existing employees' skills are sharpened and improved. This leads to a more productive and engaged workforce with a broader understanding of manufacturing. Contact us to set up a customized option for your team members. See the upcoming CPT schedule here. Please contact
OSUIT at 918-825-4678 or Cassity.bixby@okstate.edu for more information.
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