 Kaynor Tech has been chosen to become the first high school in the
State of Connecticut to achieve accreditation of its “Advanced
Manufacturing Technology” (AMT) program by the National Institute
of Metalworking Skills (NIMS). A ceremony to acknowledge this
honor was held on October 16th.
Kaynor’s AMT program is a unique “joint venture” formed
by the technical high school and local manufacturers to increase the
supply of highly skilled workers in the local area. Seen as a “Top
Gun” school for machinists, the AMT program seeks to provide
the top Kaynor students with an opportunity to work on state-of-the-art
metalworking equipment in a collegiate setting to achieve NIMS credentials
that certify their skills.
Not only does this program provide a new supply of highly skilled
workers in the area, it also lets all prospective employers know exactly
what level of skill the new workers have achieved relative to the new
rigorous standards nationwide.
“It used to take several years before we could tell if a new
apprentice was going to make the grade or not,” said Tim Richards
of PalmGuitar, former Project Coordinator of the AMT program. “Now,
with their skills both documented and certified by NIMS, there is incredible
competition among local companies to hire the best of the best from
this program.”
The
AMT program is guided by a Governing Board made up of industry and
educators. The Board is co-chaired Jack Traver, Jr., President
of Traver IDC located in Waterbury and Robert Axon, Principal of W.F.
Kaynor Technical High School. Mr. Axon commented that “the
AMT program is the only high school based program in the State of Connecticut
that teaches to NIMS standards and W.F. Kaynor Technical High School
is the first high school based program in Connecticut to be accredited. Kaynor’s
long standing partnership with the region’s manufacturers is
a key component to Kaynor’s success in this area.” Jack
Traver, Jr. noted that “receiving the NIMS program accreditation
is a prestigious honor and represents industry’s mark of approval
and recognition of the training program offered through Kaynor.”
Kaynor Tech received its NIMS accreditation award from Stephen Mandes,
Executive Director of National Institute of Metalworking Skills, which
is headquartered in Fairfax, VA. The accreditation ceremony was
held on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 at the Curtali Commons located on
the Naugatuck Valley Community College campus inside Founders Hall. Congratulations
to all involved! |
