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GREENWOOD — Students from across Indiana gathered Saturday morning in Greenwood for the Indiana Tooling and Machining Association High School Competition.
At the competition, students were timed and judged on precision for hands on and computer machining tasks.
"Running machines in a competition is totally different than average work in a shop, with time limits,” Lucas Brewer, a student competitor said. “It's different but I like it."
While at the competition, students were also able to do mock interviews with representatives from companies.
Due to an aging workforce, the need for employees in the machining field is growing.
For employers like Jim Ditman, who was also a judge at the competition, events like these are opportunities for them to find future employers.
“This is where I get my employees, my future employees,” Ditman said.
For students who won, they were able to receive scholarships and a tool kit to help with their future careers.
"We've got to fill the gap somehow,” Jim Appleby, the competition’s organizer said. “Hopefully this will be a little part in helping us and all the other manufacturer’s out there to raise up a new crop."
For more information on the Indiana National Tooling and Machining Association, visit their website.
