Welding sponsors help Wayne Career Center students
Ebner Furnace presented equipment, materials and signage to the Wayne County Schools Career Center as a sponsor of one of the welding booths. Pictured are WCSCC principal Matt Brown, left, director of operations Lynn Moomaw, Ebner’s Shane Biskopski, welding instructor Jeff Mehling, Ebner’s Steve Kreiner, WCSCC Superintendent Dr. Kip Crain and career technical education supervisor Lynette Boggs.
Ebner Furnace Inc. has added its name to the growing list of companies to sponsor welding booths at the Wayne County Schools Career Center. Numbering five in total with more in the works, the booths feature welding equipment most commonly used in that sponsor’s manufacturing process.
Senior manager of production control and manufacturing Shane Biskopski and welding supervisor Steve Kreiner of Ebner were at the career center for the unveiling of Ebner’s booth. Ebner hires both high school and adult students from the career center and even boasts a state-certified apprenticeship program.
“Our process is what sets us apart,” Biskopski said. “We X-ray all of our piping and vessels. We have a standard above all the rest.”
Booth sponsors currently include AT&F, E-Pak, Rayco, Orrvilon and MagniPower. The employers provide the equipment used in their shop, photos of their business, employee expectations, company views and goals, and materials for the booths so high school and adult students enrolled in the programs can be specifically trained on the skills and techniques each employer requires.
“We want our students to continue to be successful within the welding industry that is ever changing and progressing,” WCSCC welding instructor Jeff Mehling said.
Mehling created the sponsorship program to keep students’ skills as up to date as possible with current industry technology. Adult education instructor Mike Swansiger also has been involved with the project.
Sponsored welding booths help the students understand what is expected in a shop and how shop floors are run. The booths are not used for any other purpose than to provide students with real-world experience as if they were employed at that respective shop. It allows graduates of the program to hit the ground running, reducing training time.
The career center is at 518 W. Prospect St. in Smithville. For more information or directions to the school, call 330-669-7000 or visit www.wcscc.org.