Central Community College (CCC) in Columbus, Nebraska, and injection molding training, technology and resources company RJG®, headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, have partnered up to bring injection molding training to Nebraska. CCC will embed RJG education into its curriculum when a new training lab is completed in the beginning of 2020.
RJG’s award-winning courses have trained countless injection molding professionals in a real-world, hands-on capacity to improve their careers and lives. CCC has a passion for teaching real-world skills, including injection molding, so the partnership made sense. They’ve been working hard to get the training facility up and running as quickly as possible for their students.
Currently, the mechanicals are in place, and the floor will soon receive its new finish in the 4,000-sq.-ft. lab. Kathy Fuchser, campus president/division VP, and Doug Pauley, associate dean/training development, are driving the initiative and have added Ben Wilshusen as the trainer for their plastics program.
This effort has also included many local injection molding companies. Machines have been donated by Becton Dickinson, Molex, Arburg and Toyo. Advanced Engineering is donating the complete cooling system, and Major Mold is helping with molds. Other smaller donations include conveyors, robots and more.
“We are very excited to open up this opportunity to CCC students,” said Gary Chastain, consulting and training director at RJG. “Learning new skills through hands-on training is invaluable, especially today as less and less students choose manufacturing-based careers. We hope to instill a love of the trade and provide new opportunities to future molders.”
For more information, visit www.rjginc.com and www.cccneb.edu.