The Welding Technology Program at Kishwaukee College received a grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation to purchase a metal shear. The metal shear will allow students in the College’s Welding Tech Program as well as KEC students to gain valuable experience fabricating with larger pieces of metal in class. Pictured receiving the DCCF grant are, back row, L to R: Matt Feuerborn, Dean of Career Technologies; Zach Caccia, Welding instructor; and Dr. Mark Lanting, Vice President of Instruction; In front from L to R: Dr. Laurie Borowicz, President of Kishwaukee College, and Anita Zurbrugg, Program Director for DCCF.
The Welding Technology Program at Kishwaukee College received a $15,000 grant from the DeKalb County Community Foundation (DCCF) to purchase a metal shear. Zachery Caccia, Welding instructor, stated, “The welding technology program has grown significantly to meet the local employer demand for welders and fabricators. This shear will help our students fabricate actual parts like they will have to do on the job. We are grateful to DCCF for the grant that will help us purchase this much-needed addition to our program equipment.”
Anita Zurbrugg, Program Director for DCCF, said, “We’re delighted to be able to partner with Kishwaukee College to prepare our local workforce in meeting the evolving needs of the manufacturing industry. This grant is made possible by the generous support of donors to the DeKalb County Community Endowment Fund at the DeKalb County Community Foundation.”
The complete purchase of the metal shear was made possible by the DCCF grant as well as donations from the Kishwaukee College Foundation and Perkins federal vocational grant funding. A metal shear can cut large sheets of metal up to ¼-inch thick into the size that they will need for a specific project. This will allow the students to better develop their welding and fabrication skills on larger scale projects. Larger scale projects are more the norm in the workplace.
Caccia explained the need, “The current Welding Tech Program at Kishwaukee – as in most community colleges – is basic welding of small metal coupons in a welding booth. This training is absolutely necessary, but it is not sufficient to produce a student who is ready to enter the workforce. These students need actual hands-on practical experience of doing in school what they will be expected to do in industry. The addition of the metal shear will make that kind of experience possible in the welding shop on campus.”
The metal shear will benefit not only Kishwaukee College students in the Welding Technology program but also Kishwaukee Education Consortium students who are in the KEC Welding program. Caccia estimates the metal shear will be impact the lab experience of 140 students each year between KEC and the College program.
For more information on the Welding Technology Program at Kishwaukee College, contact Zach Caccia at 815-825- 9703 or at zachery.caccia@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
Registration for Fall 2016 is currently in progress at Kishwaukee College. For enrollment and registration information, contact Admissions, Registration and Records at 815-825- 9375 or at arr@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
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