It has been said time and time again. It is almost guaranteed to come up in any conversation regarding US Manufacturing. The skills gap is real and many Midwest manufacturers are feeling the pressure to generate and retain top talent. This is not a problem that occurred overnight and it definitely cannot be solved quickly. It is going to take time and effort to reignite interest in this industry. There are local technical colleges that provide solutions to industry; however, many members of America’s next generation are not even being exposed to the opportunities that exist in US Manufacturing. There are very few programs remaining at the high school level that provide insight into what CNC machining is about and its vital role in our society.
At QTE we are passionate about the importance and necessity of US Manufacturing and we want the US to remain relevant in this arena. With this in mind we partnered with the team of instructors at Fort Zumwalt School District to provide them with base level training and support to assist with getting their CNC programming classes progressing to the next level.
In a time when most schools are cutting programs or doubling down on 3D printing, Fort Zumwalt is one of the few remaining school districts in the Saint Louis metro area with any metal cutting curriculum. This past year, each of the district’s four high schools received new Haas machine tools and licenses of Mastercam to excel their program and expose the next generation to the possibilities of careers in CNC machining.
QTE’s Mark Clark provides instruction on Mastercam for teachers in the Fort Zumwalt School District.We would like to thank the instructors for their commitment to their students and the future of US Manufacturing as they volunteered their day off on President’s Day to come to QTE and receive Mastercam training. We are excited to see the future talent that come from the school district.
