Bill
Yeske, a member of Manufacturing Support Services, working in the
Middletown Tool Room, and his good friend, Jim Lomartra, department
head of Manufacturing Technology at Wilcox Technical High School,
are working together to prepare the next generation of manufacturing
employees.
Yeske and Lomartra first met while attending Vinal Technical High School
in Middletown, Conn. After graduation they both accepted job offers at
Mohawk Manufacturing, also in Middletown, where they earned their journeymanship
in tool and die making. Working together ended shortly thereafter when
Yeske accepted an offer to work for Pratt & Whitney and Lomartra entered
the Connecticut technical high school system as a manufacturing technology
teacher. Over the years, these good friends kept in touch, participating
in karate classes together.
It wasn’t until 2002 that they would have the opportunity to work
together again. One day Lomartra called Yeske and explained there was a
new mandate which would require all senior students to be tested in manufacturing
technology. Based on his knowledge and expertise, Lomartra asked Yeske
if he would help by being a proctor. At the thought of again working with
his close friend and helping manufacturing students at the same time, Yeske
gladly accepted.
The new mandated test was developed by the National Occupational Competency
Testing Institute (NOCTI). This test has been administered nationally to
technical high school seniors. For the past six years Yeske has served
on this manufacturing technology committee to help senior students improve
their skills in tool and die making. With Yeske and Lomartra working together,
seniors at Wilcox Tech have scored above the state and national average
each year.
“What has made this effort successful and rewarding, is not only the
great working relationship that Jim and I have, but also the support we have
received from our manager, Nick Botsacos, at Pratt & Whitney,” Yeske
said.
According to Yeske, Botsacos has been overwhelmingly supportive of reaching
out in the community to help prepare these students. In addition, Botsacos’ wife,
Diane, is the director of Guidance at Wilcox Tech and has also been helpful
in this effort. As Botsacos points out, “Diane’s role in leading
the guidance team at Wilcox Tech is supportive to Bill and Jim as it relates
to getting these students ready for employment in the manufacturing field.”
Yeske and Lomartra have very much enjoyed working together again. They
now have another challenge which is to prepare students for the same type
of success on a new test, the National Institute for Metal Working Standards
(NIMS), which is replacing the NOCTI testing during 2008-2009. One can
only assume that these two goods friends will continue preparing manufacturing
technology students for companies like Pratt & Whitney in the future.
This
article was contributed by Bill Yeske and Chuck O’Neil the Communications
Manager of the
OPPI and Turbine Module Center and appeared in the Pratt & Whitney
newsletter. |
