Machine course employs students

Machine course employs students

Friday, December 21, 2007

By Elizabeth Mormer, Allderdice High School (City of Pittsburgh Schools)

Classes in high school have traditionally served students by teaching them certain basic skills necessary to survive the world post-high school, whether that future encompassed enrolling in college or entering the work force. A new addition to Allderdice's course list, however, prepares students for a more immediate future: Joe Abraham’s machine operations course.

Through a program designed by Joe Abraham and John Foley in conjunction with Tony Shuttleworth, Machine Operations Manager at Quality Rolls, students who take the Machine Operations course for two years can learn the required skills to get a job at Quality Rolls on the South Side.

Quality Rolls specializes in making giant rollers used in such industries as agriculture, glass, paper and board, furnace, textile, and construction equipment. These fine-quality rolls are used for many purposes including rolling out aluminum foil and serving as the rolls under a conveyor belt.

In Joe Abraham’s class, students learn all the requirements for a job at Quality Rolls, including reading blue-prints, as well as the set-up and operation of a milling machine, a CNC weld, a manual weld, a grinder, and three types of saws. Students also learn how to use all of the hand tools.

Once students have mastered these skills they are eligible for an interview with Shuttleworth. "[Quality Rolls] is looking for kids who are very safe in the work area, like wearing their goggles, hardhat, and steel-toed shoes. They also want kids who will come to work every day," said Abraham.

Jordan Scott, a senior currently enrolled in the program, describes a typical day working at Quality Rolls as "using machines, working on machines, operating machines."

Senior Charlie Maurs said, "I use a lath to shave down parts on the rolls."

While the work is very precise—all measurements must be within one thousandth of an inch and employees must be able to read all measuring instruments such as micrometers, indicators, surface gauges, rulers, and plug gauges—Scott said, "It’s fun, it’s cool, you get paid a lot, so it’s worth it."

Employees of Quality Rolls start at $10 per hour, nearly $3 more than the minimum wage, and move quickly up the pay scale. After one year or a year and a half of working at Quality Rolls, employees can earn up to $18 per hour, and those working overtime earn $27 per hour.

In addition to financial gain, employment at this company provides the student with work experience and the references necessary for applying for other jobs, which may ultimately help the student succeed in the adult world.

If you have any questions about this program, contact Abraham in room 230 or John Foley.