Above: Jake Lucas, right, a CSA student, takes a reading in the C4 building trades class as teacher Mike Metz takes notes for him. Left: Columbus North student Jessica Buenrostro works in the C4 computer tech support class as she troubleshoots the computer on her bench. Opposite page top: Columbus North students Christian Mahoney, left, and Joe Johnson watch as the Haas CNC lathe turns out a part in the precision machining class. Opposite page bottom: Standing at the control panel of a Hurco CNC mill, Mackinnen Geon monitors the machine as the head works through a block of steel.
requisite soft skills needed for applicants to be effective. A wide array of people is working to address this. Most are associated one way or another with EcO15, an area education initiative, and the Seamless Pathways Project, the second phase of its activity. EcO15 was established in 2007 by the Community Education Coalition and Heritage Fund, the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. Projects of its first phase of activity included the Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, the implementation of the “Dream It. Do It.� manufacturing-career campaign in the high schools in the 10-county EcO15 area, and enhanced training and education in the health care and hospitality fields. The second phase addresses the fact that the EcO15 area, and Columbus in particular, are creating more job openings than there are people to fill them. The root of the dilemma is a cycle of generational poverty that has resulted in a sizable group of people unacquainted with the world of work. Hence the focus on soft skills. see EcO15 on page 10 JUly 2014 The Business Connection 9