14A • Tuesday, August 28, 2018 NEWS The Republic-Monitor • www.perryvillenews.

com

1. 2.

4. 5.
photos by Robert Cox
1. Gov. Mike Parson visits with NFL Hall of Famer Jackie Smith as they examine an artist’s
rendering of the plans for Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial on Wednesday in Par-
ryville. Parson was visiting the site for the first time since February. 2. Rep. Rick Francis of
Perryville speaks with Parson during a tour of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial position of
the site. 3. Parson speaks with the construction workers who are installing the black granite
3. panels on the replica wall. 4. Gilster-Mary Lee president and CEO Don Welge greets Parson
as he arrives. 5. Republic-Monitor publisher Beth Durreman shakes hands with Parson.

First industrial engineering class graduates from Ranken Perryville

For the Republic-Monitor
Ranken Technical College
and the Perryville Communi-
ty are celebrating the gradu-
ation of Ranken Perryville’s
first Industrial Engineering
Technology students. The IET
program, which has a unique
work-based curriculum, was
conceived, designed and insti-
tuted to meet local challenges
in maintaining a skilled tech-
nical workforce.
Five TG Missouri employ-
ees started their five-semester
Associate Degree program in
January 2017, and complet-
ed it in August 2018. Another
seven TG Missouri employ-
ees started in February 2017
and will be graduating in Sep-
tember 2018.
According to the U.S. Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics, em-
ployment of Industrial Tech-
nicians is expected to grow by
16% from 2014 to 2024, a rate
that is significantly faster than
the average rate of all occupa-
tions and career fields.
Perryville businesses must
compete with other commu-
nities to fill these positions.
The IET program began after
TG Missouri, along with
other Perryville businesses
and community leaders, ap-
proached Ranken about ad-
dressing the growing need for
trained and skilled workers.
To alleviate the problem,
Governor Mike Parson (in suit) poses with Ranken’s first IET graduates, and TG Missouri and Ranken represen-
tatives. The photo was taken at TG Missouri in Perryville on August 22.
Ranken set up a five-semes-
ter, internship-based learn-
ing program, which included
spending four weeks at Ran-
ken, and four weeks at a local
employer. The U.S. Depart-
ment of Labor approved the
Ranken Perryville IET train-
ing program as an officially
recognized apprenticeship.
In addition to working at
TG Missouri, Ranken IET
students are able to do intern-
ships with local companies
such as Gilster-Mary Lee,
Roeslein and Atlas EPS while
they are enrolled in the pro-
gram
“The IET degree is unique
because we work so integral-
ly with businesses to custom-
ize a curriculum and devel-
op multi-craft skills that are
in high demand,” said Ran-
ken’s Dean of Academic Af-
fairs Dan Kania. “Companies
are developing their technical
talent and resources, and stu-
dents are earning paychecks
while they are investing in
their futures.”
The TG Missouri students
did their four-week rotation
in the classroom, followed
by four weeks at TG Missou-
ri, gaining hands-on experi-
ence in hydraulics, pneumat-
ics, maintenance operations,
mechanical systems, electri-
cal applications, electronic
systems, electronic & process
controls, welding and piping.
Tyler Hagy, from Fred-
ericktown, is a TG Missouri
mold setup technician grad-
uating from the program in
September. He agrees that the
IET program has been im-
mensely beneficial to him in a
wide variety of ways. “What
I have learned is of great help
to me in my career, but I also
gained a lot on a personal level
by taking courses that were
educational and challenging.
The teachers didn’t just in-
struct but they explained why
things worked a certain way,
and worked with us closely so
that we succeeded in whatever
we attempted.”
The largest employer in
Perryville, TG Missouri is an
submitted photo
automotive products manu-
facturer with 10 plants on a
246-acre campus. This consti-
tutes approximately 1.8 mil-
lion square feet in manufac-
turing space. It employs 1,700
full-time workers and 200
temporary workers.
The company was actively
engaged in setting up the IET
program curriculum, and sup-
ported what was being taught
in the classroom by arranging
the provision of any necessary
tools and resources. Mentors
worked with students on an
individual basis to reinforce
what was being taught, and to
help the students complete the
required skills checklists.
The Ranken IET program
has been a positive experience
for all parties involved, says
TG Missouri’s Senior Gener-
al Manager Fred Ducharme.
“As the students have pro-
gressed through the program,
their skills improved and ex-
panded, which has benefitted
us operationally, especially in
our maintenance groups. We
have also seen an improve-
ment in students’ work ethic
as well as their professional-
ism. It has also presented our
employees with more chal-
lenging positions and high-
er earnings. TG Missouri will
continue to encourage our
employees and students to ad-
vance their technical abilities
through these kinds of educa-
tional programs.”
Upon completion of the
IET program, in addition to re-
ceiving associate degrees, the
students receive certification
from the Department of Labor
and earn national credentials
from the National Industry of
Metalworking Skills.
Ranken is currently enroll-
ing new students for the IET
program. For more informa-
tion, call 314-286-3382. The
Ranken Perryville campus
(1205 Corporation Lane) will
be having an Open House on
Oct. 20 from 10 am until 2
pm.
For more information
about Ranken, visit www.ran-
ken.edu.

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