Forging the Future: Whiteside Area Career Center's Innovative Welding and Machining Program

Students in the Whiteside Area Career Center's (WACC) welding, manufacturing, and machining program are gaining hands-on experience and precision skills needed to succeed in the modern manufacturing industry. The two-year program, offered to junior and senior high school students, allows them to earn up to 10 college credits at Sauk Valley Community College and gain valuable experience through internships and dual-credit opportunities. Instructor Jeremy Walls emphasizes the importance of repetition, practice, and perfection in mastering trades, stating that "an employer is not going to want that your first three welds are good, but the next three are bad." Students also learn crucial skills such as budgeting, time management, and advanced techniques like TIG welding.

Key Takeaways:

• The WACC's welding, manufacturing, and machining program offers hands-on experience and precision skills needed to succeed in the modern manufacturing industry.
• Students can earn up to 10 college credits at Sauk Valley Community College through the program.
• The program focuses on repetition, practice, and perfection in mastering trades, with instructor Jeremy Walls stating that "an employer is not going to want that your first three welds are good, but the next three are bad."
• Students learn crucial skills such as budgeting, time management, and advanced techniques like TIG welding.
• The program is designed to launch careers, with almost 100% of graduates being offered a full-time job.
• High turnover in the manufacturing industry has led companies to rely on staffing agencies, but the WACC's internship program is changing this by providing direct hiring from the classroom.
• Partnerships with local companies have significantly reduced operating costs, with many donating steel, equipment, and supplies.
• Instructor Jeremy Walls emphasizes the importance of passing knowledge on to the next generation, stating that "it's sort of like a Karate Kid story."

Statistics:

• Almost 100% of WACC's program graduates are offered a full-time job.
• The program offers students the opportunity to earn up to 10 college credits at Sauk Valley Community College.
• The program has partnerships with 16 member school districts and three parochial schools.
• The WACC serves students from five counties: Bureau, Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside.
• The majority of the program's population comes from Sterling, Rock Falls, and Dixon.

Sources:

• (Located at wacc.com)
• Sauk Valley Community College
• Tribune Content Agency, LLC
• The Daily Gazette (Sterling, Ill.)