From left: Instructor Shane Albright, and students Tim Robbins, Joe Meadows, Nadia Handy, Ethan Yentes, Joe Dialis, Austin Brown and Ali Minix. Photo provided.

WARSAW — Ivy Tech Warsaw offering machine tool technology certification path for Warsaw high school students

For the fourth year, Ivy Tech Community College Warsaw is hosting a college-based dual enrollment Precision Machining Technology 2 program at the Orthopedic & Advanced Manufacturing Training Center. 

The program starts during the fall semester and runs Monday through Friday afternoons and is open to Warsaw Area Career Center students from Tippecanoe Valley, Warsaw and Whitko High Schools. 

Students must first successfully complete Precision Machining Technology 1 classes at WACC before enrolling in the second series. After successfully completing both, students will earn a Technical Certificate in Machine Tool Technology, as well as a National Institute of Metalworking Skills Certifications. 

Participants attend the program at no cost to their families. Tuition, books and fees are funded by the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, DePuy Synthes, Instrumental Machine & Development, Medtronic, Paragon Medical, Precision Medical Technologies and Zimmer Biomet.

Graduates also have the opportunity to return and take an additional class to earn a Technical Certificate in Machine Tool Technology. This training will prepare students for manufacturing careers such as CNC machining, CNC programming, tool and die making and other manufacturing-related careers. 

 This program is great for students who want to head right into the workforce or for those who want to continue their education,” says Tom Till, Director of Advanced Manufacturing at the OAMTC. “Several local companies offer tuition reimbursement opportunities, so once employed these students may have additional educational opportunities to continue growing their careers.”

In 2019, seven high school juniors and seniors enrolled in the PMT 2 program. It included five men and two women, which was significant because these are the first female students who have enrolled in the program.

Till said they are excited to see more interest in the program from female students. “Women are traditionally underrepresented in the trades programs, and we hope to see our number of female students continue to grow,” he said.”

To learn more about this program, contact Till at 574-267-5428 ext. 7450 or [email protected]