Sierra College Hosts SkillsUSA California Region 4 Conference

On January 11, over 430 high school students and teachers, representing over 20 schools in the northern California area, will participate in the SkillsUSA Leadership and Skills Region 4 Conference at Sierra College.

SkillsUSA California develops leaders in middle school, high school and college postsecondary Career and Technical Education programs, explained Clay Mitchell, State Executive Director, SkillsUSA California. "This event includes 61 competition areas challenging students' drafting, electronics, engineering, robotics, welding, woodworking, and leadership skills," said Clay. "It is the culmination of students using the technical and leadership skills they've developed in the classroom with the possibility of representing the region at the state and national competition."

There are still opportunities for industry representatives to get involved as volunteers and judges as well as supply materials for contests. The school deadline to register was in November. For more information, contact Ashley Conger, Region 4 Manager, SkillsUSA California at 916-258-5643 or rmanager4(at)skillsusaca.org.

Harris & Bruno Attracts Students to Manufacturing Careers

As part of the ongoing effort to connect students to employers so they can see the opportunities in the field of Advanced Manufacturing, Harris & Bruno International employees visited Roseville High School on November 15, according to Courtney Camp, Human Resources Manager, Harris & Bruno International.

"It's very rewarding to see that we as an employer are making an impact with students and giving them insight into our industry that they might not otherwise have," said Camp. "Working in manufacturing isn't necessarily something today's students are going to consider as a viable career path but when you show them what we do and how interesting the work is, we can help change that. Building tomorrow's pipeline is so important to our industry and these are excellent opportunities to help spark passion for what we do." 

The company focused on making students aware of the wide range of career opportunities in manufacturing and the different avenues that can be taken to get there, explained Courtney Camp, Human Resources Manager, Harris & Bruno International. "For example, David Sarver explained specifically what he does as a Mechanical Engineer at Harris & Bruno and the path he took to get to his current position," said Camp. "We also emphasized that while a four-year college is an excellent path for some students, it's not the only option that results in rewarding and lucrative careers. Other options are community colleges, trade schools, apprenticeship programs and on-the-job training."

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For assistance connecting with schools and employers in your area, contact Jeff Briggs, Edu2Mfg, at 916-316-8100 or JeffBriggs(at)sierracollege.edu.

Project MFG™ Accelerates Students' Career Passion 

On December 3-5, 2019, Project MFG™: Next Generation Manufacturing™ Challenge from the United States Department of Defense took place at the Sierra College Gene Haas Center for Advanced Manufacturing by Design in Rocklin. Project MFG™ holds competitions across the country to address the need for a skilled engineering and shop floor manufacturing workforce in the United States to compete in global markets. Kennedy High School, Rocklin High School and Yuba College teams competed in the challenge to produce a complex part made of aluminum. 

For the first time in the competition's history, a high school team won. Not only did Kennedy High School out-perform the other competitors, the Sacramento team did it with only three rather than the usual four students participating. The Kennedy team will go on to the next level and a chance to participate in the national competition at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago, September 2020.

Adele Ratcliff, Director, Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program, Office of Industrial Policy, within the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, presented the awards and cash prizes. "It's exciting to witness America's Next Great Generation compete under pressure against world class standards," said Ratcliff. "It brings out the best in them and instills confidence in their ability to perform at the highest industrial base standards when it counts for a company."  

Project MFG™ is designed to allow the individual, the instructor and the school to benchmark themselves against the best, explained Ratcliff. "Project MFG™ not only pushes their skills, but pushes their thinking and approach to be more advanced in a teamed approach," said Ratcliff. The competition was developed to ignite interest in Advanced Manufacturing careers to address the deficit in trade skill talent that is not keeping pace with the current resurgence of U.S. manufacturing and prepare students for manufacturing jobs that require people to work collaboratively across the manufacturing floor. 

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Agriculture and Manufacturing Sectors Connect

Over 70 people attended the first joint-sector, Agriculture in Advanced Manufacturing, Regional Advisory Meeting held on Friday, November 22 in Woodland.  

Keynote Speaker, Glenda Humiston, Ph.D., Vice President, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, discussed the key contributions of the Food and Agriculture Value Chain. She also presented a new report, California's Working Landscape that focuses on agricultural distribution, agricultural processing, agricultural production, agricultural support, fishing, forestry, mining, outdoor recreation, and renewable energy segments. According to the report, agriculture in California represents 1.5 million jobs, nearly 70,000 business establishments, $85 billion in employee earnings and $333 billion in sales.

In addition, Humiston and Rob Neenan, President/CEO, California Food Producers, facilitated a discussion about what's new in food trends and next generation food production. 

There was also an employer panel with representatives from Farmers' Rice Cooperative, Pacific Coast Producers, Vite Ramen and Z Specialty Food LLC, explained Carrie Peterson, Regional Director for Employer Engagement, North-Far North Region, Agriculture, Water, and Environmental Technology Sector, California Community Colleges.

"The employers discussed how advances in manufacturing their products have both helped and hindered their businesses," said Petersen. "New certificate programs in Industrial Maintenance Mechanics at Yuba College and Sacramento City College were also presented. Afterwards, participants explored the possibilities of establishing more industry partnerships with educational institutions to pool resources."

For more information contact Carrie Peterson at 530-668-2531or cpeterso(at)yccd.edu.

Jan 11 -- Instructor Training in Teaching Advanced Manufacturing Skills presented by SVMI & Edu2Mfg

Jan 11 - SkillsUSA California Region 4 Conference at Sierra College

Feb 8 - Instructor Training in Teaching Advanced Manufacturing Skills presented by SVMI & Edu2Mfg

Feb 13 - CTE Counselor Conference

Feb 20 -- Manufacturing Apprenticeship Networking Event supported by SVMI, CMTA, Los Rios Community College District, American River College and Sierra College.

Mar 25 - SVMI State of Manufacturing Breakfast