Dylan Teske and Andrew Frick placed first and second, respectively, in the CNC 3-Axis Milling competition, and Jack Weber finished first in Precision Machining. They competed against students from other technical colleges in the state. Dylan and Jack will compete at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, Georgia at the end of June.  

Andrew Frick (left) and Dylan Teske

“SkillsUSA is a good experience and fun opportunity,” said Jeff Block, machine tool faculty. “They’re on their own to figure out what to do, which they don’t necessarily get in the day-to-day school environment.”  

SkillsUSA aims to enhance the quality of the nation’s future skilled workforce through the development of personal, workplace and technical skills. It includes local, regional and state competitions, as well as the competition at the national level. SkillsUSA offers opportunities for middle school, high school, and college/postsecondary students. At NTC, six students from the Machine Tool program competed at the state competition.  

Jeff encourages all his students to participate. It provides students with a unique opportunity to compete on their own. The students are given a piece of material and a print and then have three hours to make the part. This portion of the competition is done on campus, and the parts are boxed up and sent away for judging. They also had to complete two tests at the SkillsUSA Wisconsin State Leadership and Skills Conference as part of the competition. 

Jack Weber

Competing in SkillsUSA also gives competitors the opportunity to meet industry professionals and learn more about their field of interest. For students in the Machine Tool program, competing helps them to learn machining concepts.  

The Machine Tool Operation Technical Diploma program prepares students to set up, program and operate various types of manual and computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine tools.  

“Machinists have a play in everything,” Jeff said. “Think about how many parts there are in the world. Those parts are made by machinists.”  

Nearly everything you use on a daily basis, from the clothes you wear to the cereal you had for breakfast, is made possible because of a machinist.  

The demand for people in the profession is high, and students can begin working in the field right away. Most students find jobs and start working before they’ve graduated.  

“The profession is always going to be around,” Jeff said. “The machines will change, the materials will probably change, artificial intelligence may change how we do it, but there is always going to be the need for the machinist.”  

To learn more about the Machine Tool Operation Technical Diploma program, visit: www.ntc.edu/academics-training/programs/all/technical-diploma/machine-tool-operation