National Institute for Metalworking Skills advisors visited Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s Walker County Campus in Rock Spring for a week-long visit with the college’s Machine Tool Technology program.

GNTC Machine Tool Technology instructor Philip Shirley hosted the event which saw specialists from NIMS measuring the knowledge and skill sets of instructor and students alike. NIMS awards credentials which provides a guarantee that instructors and the program are performing at the highest level and have the capacity to train the top new recruits in the field, said officials.

NIMS offers 52 metalworking credentials designed to recognize necessary job qualifications from entry-level to master-level openings in the field. In-lab and online examinations lead to certifications and accreditations in the Machine Tool arena. “Each year, we do what we can to ensure the program has exactly what a new student needs to get the training necessary that will land him or her into a good career in the field,” said Mr. Shirley.

NIMS specialist Mike Blizzard headed up the July event in Walker County. Instructors Michael Schmidt and Jeffrey Friend from Lanier and Savannah Technical Colleges, respectively, also visited on-site to take part in the process. “We are fortunate enough to be in a program where students are seeing more and more opportunities each year,” said Mr. Shirley. “We just want to know that what we bring them from day one is going to be second to none. So, we do our part.”

For more information on the Machine Tool Technology program at Georgia Northwestern, contact the college at 866.983-4682; or e-mail Mr. Shirley at pshirley@gntc.edu. Final registration for fall semester at GNTC is Aug. 3.