Ensuring a valuable pipeline of Skilled Trades Talent, Lozier partner schools Metropolitan Community College (MCC) and Omaha Public School Northwest have teamed up to provide high schoolers with a new Energy Systems Technology pathway, giving students access to more MCC certifications.
Robert Boyer, MCC Program Coordinator & Instructor for Manufacturing, Power and Process Technology and Todd Wesslund, OPS Northwest High School Industrial Technology, are working as a team to offer this program to students looking to pursue a career in Skilled Trades.
Lozier Brand Strategist and Northwest High School graduate Phyl Thomas will help guide the program available to the school’s 1,800 students by serving on the advisory board. Made up of other industry partners, the advisory board and instructors are eager to see this pathway’s success in preparing students from freshman year through graduation for careers beyond school.
“I have seen the evolution of the school throughout the years because many of my family members are also graduates,” Thomas said. “I was in the same position as a lot of these students, unsure of what to do after high school; so offering these new programs for students is excellent. I look forward to supporting this program through Lozier and others on the advisory board.”
Equipping them for the future, students participating in these classes will have opportunities to complete MCC Career Certificates toward associates degrees in Manufacturing, Power, & Process Operations Technology and Facility Operations & Maintenance. Through lectures and labs, the new Energy Systems Technology career path provides foundation skills in safety, maintenance, production, quality, electrical, and mechanical systems.
Other career certificate opportunities will be available through third parties and encompass areas such as safety, digital multimeters and precision measurement.
“These new programs are a real win for students,” Community Engagement & Outreach Manager Ralph Kleinsmith said. “Once the students go through this program they will be well on their way for a great career and industry partners will be able to employ these talented students we all need.”
Lozier employees serve on 29 school and industry advisory boards across the communities where the company operates.