NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — One by one the eight graduates of the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Program were called up on Thursday to receive a folio containing all the certifications they had earned since February. 

 

The free 200-hour course was funded through state Career Technical Initiative implementation grants. McCann Technical School was awarded funding last year for advanced manufacturing, welding and automotive technology courses. The manufacturing is the first one in adult education program. 

 

"I wanted to better myself," said Jason Lane. "I didn't have any opportunity to go to school with career and schedule and cost, and this being a free course, and what I was able to learn, I mean, who wouldn't want to take advantage of it?

 

"The amount of stuff I learned in 200 hours to be able to pretty much make anything from nothing, from metal. I mean, it's just very valuable."

 

The students had attended classes every Monday through Thursday to earn certifications including OSHA 10 General Industry, SolidWorks Associate, CNC Expert CAM,  MACWIC Levels 1 and 2, and CNC Expert CNC.

 

Earning certifications were Aryanna Hall, Timothy Hill, John Kozak, Jason Lane, Tristan Scholl, Donald Schumacher, Phillip Vivori and Edmund Young.

 

"It is a commitment, and it's amazing that these people did what they did. I mean, the amount of work that they completed, the fashion that they did it in, it's incredible," said instructor Thomas Matuszak. "They exceeded anything that I would ever imagine that people could do. They did a great job."

 

He said all the students certified in the Manufacturing Advancement Center Workforce Innovation Collaborative through the state and in the general Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

 

"The Solid Works certification was difficult. A couple of them got that. But inside of what we did here in AMT, they have what's called CNC expert, where they complete projects and they can submit them, and they get certified for each one of the separate projects, up to 40 different projects," he said. 

 

 

The students also have an online portfolio so they can post a QR code to their resume and employers can look at all their certifications and accomplishments. And they received a gift bag containing a digital scale, safety glasses, a flash drive, and a calculator.

 

The course was a collaboration with the MassHire Berkshire Career Center and the Commonwealth Corporation.

 

"So this will give them the skills that they need to be able to apply for jobs in in-demand industries within Berkshire County," said Melanie Herzig of MassHire, who encouraged the graduates to attend the manufacturing and welding job fair on May 9 at the Career Center. "We have compiled a few local employers that are going to be meeting with them, and they get early access so they can meet with the employers before the rest of the public.

 

"This will be a great opportunity for them to transition immediately from training to employment."

 

Superintendent James Brosnan reminded them how they've worked closely with instructors and administrators at McCann and urged them to stay in touch. 

 

"You can use us as references to build your resume," he said. "Have them connect with me, and we can make sure all the documents go through and they can talk to me about the quality and how hard you worked at it."

 

The superintendent said courses like this have been run for several years across the state but it took awhile for McCann and its partners to bring it to fruition here. 

 

"We had to do an awful lot of promotional work, reaching out, and tremendous work," he said, crediting Herzig and Bryana Malloy of the Berkshire Workforce Board. "And then all of the applicants that come in have to be screened for applicability to meet the criteria of the grant funding."

 

McCann's team did the technical training but then the students also had about a dozen hours training in job writing skills, interviewing techniques, and resume and cover letters.

 

"It was really fun. I learned a lot," said graduate Phillip Vivori. "I was here 20 years ago and to see how all the machines are all automated now, more than they used to be. But yeah, it was really fun. I learned a lot, and hopefully it'll pay off."