A group of people gathered around a robot to demonstrate welding techniques — no actual heat for safety purposes — and Waukegan’s Johnny Rzymowski guided the robot with a tool that looked like a tool from a video game.
“It’s cool,” said elementary school student Elijah Cheng. “It looks harder than a video game.”
Another group watched Lake County College Industrial Technology Chair Dave Wooten demonstrate how students can use different types of engines to prepare for high-paying, high-demand jobs.
“It’s impressive,” said her own educator, Carol Gibbs. “This will enable people to look for careers.”
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Gibbs and Cheng were among more than 440 people who got a firsthand look at Lake County College’s new $34 million Advanced Technology Center to learn about industrial technology and welding programs at its grand opening Saturday in Gurnee.
While students began attending classes there in August, Anne O’Connell, the school’s director of public relations and marketing, said Saturday was the public’s first opportunity to tour the facility, providing students with opportunities for a 21st century experience. Prepare for a career in manufacturing.
Although Rzymowski, an adjunct faculty member and welding supervisor at S&C Welding in Chicago, is programming robotic arms to weld, he says what looks like a video game controller is much more than that. Still, he said, young people are familiar with the process.
“I use it to get the robotic arm to do what I want,” he said. “I tell it what to do step by step. I would say students will be happy with it because of video games. It will help them learn to program.”
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Among those watching Rzymowski operate a welding robot was Karen Robinette, a human relations consultant from Fox Lake. She said the new CLC facility provides opportunities for people to find manufacturing jobs.
“They go to Lake County College to learn those skills,” she said. “Employers can count on them being ready to go to work.”
Amy Jo Pappa, inside sales manager at Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials – Engineering Solutions in Libertyville, says the Advanced Technology Center is a good place for companies to find employees.
“Students are well prepared at CLC,” Dad said. “We can hire people from here and develop them for our own store.”
Wooten showcased items used in the advanced technology sector that can help students learn to become mechanics, among other jobs, and he said students learn skills that prepare them for high-demand, high-paying jobs in manufacturing. The great room is designed to look like a modern factory.
“This is where they make things that go into the supply chain,” Wooten said, referring to the cars and other accessories used. “It’s very high demand.”
Gibbs said she was impressed with the layout of the industrial technology room. She likes the feeling of being open.
“Look at all the glasses,” she said. “I feel really comfortable here.”
Elijah’s father, Victor Cheng, a literature teacher at Waukegan Middle School, said that while teenagers don’t always see the relevance of literature when they study literature, when they study industrial technology, they immediately make reaction.
“They made something and they saw what they made,” he said. “They have a sense of accomplishment.”
In addition to demonstrations in the industrial technology and welding sections of the building, the large entry foyer is filled with information sheets, crowds learning more about the center, and live broadcasts.
“This is an open house to showcase the advanced technology center to the public,” said Richard Ammon, the school’s interim vice president for education and chief academic officer.