Greater Latrobe senior Chase Siko is well on his way toward a career as a machinist thanks to a cooperative education program at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center.
Since October, Siko has been working at Xcelicut, a Unity shop that turns out machined parts for everything from compound bows to John Deere tractors.
Siko helps to make sure those parts meet precise specifications.
“I’ve been operating the CNC (computerized numerical control) lathe and some mills,” Siko said. “I set up the machines and make sure the parts are within tolerance. If it’s not, I have a problem to solve.
“I’ll see if the cutter is dull or if I need to make an adjustment. I’ll problem solve to make sure the part gets fixed.”
The co-op program, which places students in jobs tied to their field of study, has long been offered for qualified juniors and seniors at Pennsylvania’s career and technology centers. With the increasing need for workers in all fields, particularly those with skills, the program has become more important than ever in regional workforce development efforts.
Owner Will Fennell started Xcelicut in early 2020 just as the covid-19 pandemic arrived, and he was ready to get involved when a machine tool technology instructor at Eastern Westmoreland inquired about placing a student at his machine shop.
“I’ve had some trouble finding some (workers) in the past,” he said. “I wanted to build a pipeline of talent.”
Though it’s not a given, many co-op students get offers to stay on at workplaces after they complete high school.
With just two full-time employees and two part-timers, including Siko, Fennell hopes he can retain Siko on his payroll.
“He’s a very intelligent individual who hit the ground running,” Fennell said. “From Day One, he picked up things incredibly fast.”
Siko is amenable to staying on board for the immediate future. Benefiting from hands-on, real world experience, he said, “I’ve learned a lot here in the past two months, probably what it would take me six months to learn just at school.
“From here, I might go for my journeyman’s papers and further my knowledge of this trade. The jobs are out there in manufacturing and machining.”
Cooperative education is “a good job placement opportunity” for students, said Lisa Newhouse. She coordinates the program at the Eastern Westmoreland school in Derry Township, which receives students from three area school districts.
“It’s about matching employers to students, but they have to be interviewed and accepted,” Newhouse said. “It’s just like having a regular job.”
Also, she said, “It’s a good opportunity for students to see if it’s something they really want to pursue as a career. It’s a good trial basis.
“Especially right now, employers are struggling to find
anybody they can hire. This kind of bridges the gap.”
Among types of co-op jobs that are available for Eastern Westmoreland students, machining and auto body employers have many openings, she said.
But, she noted, “We just don’t always have enough students who are ready to go out in the field.”
She said many students are still trying to catch up with the hands-on instruction they missed when in-person programs were restricted earlier in the pandemic. Others may lack transportation to a job site or have a conflict with extracurricular activities.
At the Central Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in New Stanton, workforce development director Alexander Novickoff has been focused on increasing co-op employment opportunities.
The CTC has 70 students in co-op placements as its 10 member school districts enter the winter holiday break, he said. That compares with about 50 placements at the same time in the most recent pre-pandemic year.
The number of participating employers also has grown, with more than a dozen new job sites recently coming on board.
It previously was the norm for a student to find employment in a chosen field and then go through the process of having it approved as a co-op placement, Novickoff said. Now it’s a more intentional process on the part of school officials, with prospective employers looking to get involved, he said.
“The biggest needs we have to meet is our manufacturing industry, machine trades and metal fabrication,” he said. “Those industries in our region are crying for employees.”
Students who take on co-op jobs must receive the state’s minimum wage. But they can expect to do much better, given the worker shortage that has driven up pay levels in many fields.
“Some of our co-op students are getting paid close to $20 per hour, even before they graduate,” Novickoff said. “That’s a trend I don’t see going away.”
Some students still have found a successful co-op placement by taking the initiative.
Greensburg Salem High School senior Jordan Fry is employed in a Central Westmoreland CTC co-op job with local construction contractor Jeff Telford.
Fry sought the job with Telford, a former neighbor who used to operate a farm, as Fry’s family still does.
Enrolled in the CTC construction trades program, Fry said his dream is to be able to build a house from scratch.
“I like to build things,” he said, noting he’s helped with plywood, plaster and drywall repairs at home. “I’d like to see something grow from the ground up.”
Moving around from job to job with Telford, his job tasks this week included a home roof repair in Hempfield.
Working with Telford, Fry has picked up plumbing and electrical skills while learning how to install roofing and how to frame a deck.
“I can learn a lot easier getting things in my hands and actually doing something on a job site,” Fry said. “And you get paid for it. I think that’s pretty great.”
Telford said working with Fry has been rewarding.
“He comes to work every day with energy, and he’s not afraid to try anything,” Telford said. “I only have to show him how to do something once.
“I’ve tried to include him in on the decisions of how we’re going to do a particular job and what materials we may want. I also let him be around when I’m billing the customers, so he has knowledge of what goes into that aspect of the job.”
Fry is “pretty sure” he’s going to stay on Telford’s payroll once he finishes high school.
“I will make it worth his while to stay on and work with me,” said Telford. “I can use him, with the amount of work I have out there now.”
Mikenah Rozycki, a senior at Franklin Regional Senior High and an auto mechanics student at Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center, has discovered that she doesn’t much like working on cars.
But she has taken to her co-op role as a parts adviser at A&L BMW in Monroeville, a dealership that is owned by a family friend. Her tasks include searching a computerized catalog to find the correct part for a customer’s needs.
“I like doing paperwork and working on computers,” she said. “And I’ve definitely learned a lot of customer service and communication skills.”
Rozycki’s growing familiarity with the many parts in a car could be helpful beyond her job.
“In case I break down, then I’ll know what part I need,” she said.
Rozycki plans to enter the Air Force once she completes high school.
Franklin Regional is one of four school districts that sends students to New Kensington-based Northern Westmoreland.
The CTC’s 2022-23 co-op placements are on track to exceed the normal number, which typically increases as the academic year progresses.
Jill Awes, the business industry liaison, noted Northern Westmoreland already has placed 35 students, the number it usually reaches by the end of the school year.
Welding and auto mechanics are the fields with the most demand, she said.
“Companies are looking for students with skills,” Awes said. “Everybody is desperate for workers.
“Our kids come out of here with great skills. They have to meet so many competencies before they can go out on a co-op job.”
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .