NCC Manufacturing 2000 instructor Bruce Thompson not only teaches basic machining skills for successful careers. He also imparts guiding principles for success in life.
Bruce’s work with NCC dates back to its origins at Steel Center for Career and Technical Education where he was an instructor in the 1990s and also a trainer for the National Tooling and Machining Association. The broad experience he gained in these and subsequent positions honed his technical skills. A journey worker machinist, Bruce’s resume includes Westinghouse Air Brake, a number of small machine shops, and U.S. Steel’s Christy Park Works, where he has worked since 1999.
Along the way he also learned some keys to job satisfaction that he passes along.
To those considering NCC training, Bruce advises, “Try the program! New Century Careers offers the foundation, a building block, to dictate your own future. You get paid training, so you enter the workforce with no major education debt. Plus, job placement is a component of the program, with open positions for machinists throughout the region.”
To trainees completing the program, he says, “First, I tell them not to make money their top issue. I encourage them to put themselves in a position to support the lifestyle they want to have,” Bruce says. Ask questions, he advises: “What position will work best for you? Your family? Is shift work for you? Are there additional training and advancement opportunities such as apprenticeships? Do you need health insurance and other benefits?”
Bruce enthusiastically reports recently meeting a former trainee who is now in a management position at Aerotech. U.S. Steel Christy Park hired recent NCC alumnus Dominick Rucker who is thriving there. For Bruce, that’s the most rewarding part of the job!
