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Welcome to the Career Jump Start Newsletter. You're receiving this
newsletter because we thought it may be of interest to you. If at any time you
wish to be removed from this mailing list, you're welcome to unsubscribe by
visiting the link at the bottom of the newsletter. We will send this newsletter
periodically.
If you know someone who would like to
receive this newsletter, have them subscribe on the newsletter
sign-up page.
If you have any
questions related to Career Jump Start or have any training
programs/apprenticeships you would like featured, please email us at CareerLiaison@michigan.org
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 As a nationwide partnership of students,
instructors and industry working together, SkillsUSA works to ensure America
has a skilled workforce. It helps every student excel.
The nationwide career
and technical student organization (CTSO) annually serves more than 320,000
high school, college and postsecondary students-and their instructors-in
technical, skilled, and service occupation instructional programs. CTE is
learning that works for America. SkillsUSA has the active support of more than
1,100 corporations, trade associations, business and labor unions at the
national level. Over 10.5 million people have been annual members of SkillsUSA
since its founding as the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America in 1965.
SkillsUSA programs teach leadership, citizenship and character development to
complement technical skill training. The organization emphasizes respect for
the dignity of work, ethics, workmanship, scholarship and safety.
SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in
which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. At the annual
national-level SkillsUSA Championships, over 6,000 students compete in 99
occupational and leadership skill areas.
SkillsUSA Michigan has over 4,700 members in 101 high schools, technical
centers and colleges across the state. Every April, the SkillsUSA Michigan State
Leadership and Skills Conference is held in Grand Rapids. Approximately 500 business and industry
leaders coordinate nearly 80 skill and leadership contests that they have
prepared for the 1,500 student contestants from across Michigan.
These are entry-level, hands-on skill contests, evaluated by the same
industry leaders who prepare them. The contests are based on industry driven
occupational skill standards. Business partners work throughout the school year
to plan the competitive events and many of them hire their new employees right
off the competition floor.
The SkillsUSA Michigan awards ceremony showcases the top students in
each contest. Generous industry leaders donate thousands of dollars in prizes
in the form of scholarships, tools, reference manuals and training aids for the
winners and their schools. First place winners from each division in most
contests are offered the opportunity to represent Michigan at the SkillsUSA
National Leadership and Skills Conference.
For more information about SkillsUSA, go to http://www.skillsusa.org. For more information about SkillsUSA Michigan,
go to http://miskillsusa.org/.
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 MFG DAY addresses common misperceptions about manufacturing by giving manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors and show, in a coordinated effort, what manufacturing is — and what it isn’t.
By working together during and after MFG DAY, manufacturers will begin to address the skilled labor shortage they face, connect with future generations, take charge of the public image of manufacturing, and ensure the ongoing prosperity of the whole industry.
There are many MFG DAY events planned throughout Michigan in 2014.
To see the complete list of MFG DAY events in Michigan, click here.
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  In industry, team members capable of working on
equipment which melds automation, electrical
and mechanical components are highly valued and sought after. Some call
mechatronics the
newest skilled trade rightly taking its place alongside electricians and
millwrights. The
Mechatronic Technician Academy at Kalamazoo Valley Groves Center provides the
areas only
fast-track, hands-on program to prepare graduates for this exciting new field
of work.
The Mechatronic Technician Academy at Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s
Groves Center
will hold a graduation ceremony at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17, at
the Groves
Campus. The graduates of the 20-week-long program include Jack Flynn of
Kalamazoo; Carlos
Jimenez of Kalamazoo; Patrick Kibler of Paw Paw; David Kinsey of Parchment; and
Thimothy
Skirnski of Holland, MI.
The Mechatronic Technician Academy provides fast paced, competency-based
training to
prepare students for in-demand careers as mechatronic technicians. The training
requires a full
time commitment with the opportunity to be job ready in less than six months.
Participants attend
class Monday through Friday, 8 hours each day for 20 weeks.
Through a combination of hands-on learning experiences and in class lecture,
these highly skilled
technicians master the competencies needed to work on all types of advanced
machinery and
combined systems which include electrical devices, control systems, mechanical
equipment and
fluid power systems.
Applications are available for the next course, which will begin on January 20, 2015.
 The Career Expo is scheduled for Friday, October
10th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and will be taking place at North Central
Michigan College.
The purpose of the event is to offer an opportunity
for over 400 students from the local high schools to explore a variety of
businesses and companies that correlate with the Michigan Career Pathways
(Arts, Communication, Business, Management, Marketing, Technology,
Engineering/Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, Health Sciences, Human
Services, Natural Sciences, and Agriscience).
The event is being
sponsored by Career Jump Start, Charlevoix Emmet Intermediate School District,
North Central Michigan College, and Northwest Michigan
Works. Please keep in mind that the focus is not geared
towards a job fair setting, rather a focus on career exploration.
To learn more, contact Jim Tisdel at 231.348.6822 or jtisdel@ncmc.edu
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