Company tries to draft students for profession

COLUMBUS - Wanted: skilled workers.

That is a message many local and area industries have been expressing in hopes of filling positions available now and those that are expected to open in the future.

One steel production company recently reached out to area high school students to pique their interest in possible drafting careers.

Columbus High School beginning mechanical drafting students were visited by employees from the Nucor Detailing Center. For 10 days, the students took part in the Nu-beginning program in which they learned about the opportunities available in drafting.

“There is a need nationwide for engineers and drafters,” said Mitch McCormick, Nu-beginning coordinator.

But one doesn't need to look any further than outside the state to see that.

McCormick, who is a detailer at Nucor, said it's projected that 200-400 jobs will be available at the Norfolk plant in the next five to 10 years. The Nu-beginning program was established last year in hopes of generating interest in drafting, to not only to fill jobs at Nucor, but elsewhere in the country.

Nu-beginning was in six schools in its pilot year. This year, 17 have signed up for it.

Rick Benson, industrial education teacher at CHS, said he wanted to incorporate the program this year because it allows his students to use Inventor Software, an AutoCAD program that was supplied by Nucor.

“I wanted the kids exposed to that program. It's not a program that I have a strong background in, so it allows them to learn it better,” Benson said.

Through the software students were essentially able to work with 3-D versions of Legos and learn how to put those pieces together on a computer.

McCormick said drafting is a career that is struggling to be filled because students might not be getting exposed to it like they once were.

“(Drafting) is one of those programs that gets cut first because the software is expensive and computers are expensive,” McCormick said.

Because drafting skills are used in many different fields, like video gaming, architecture, animated movies, engineering and automotive design, McCormick said chances are students will be able to find jobs quickly after college.

Renee Dewyke, a drafting instructor at Central Community College-Columbus, said the college has been reaching out to area schools, hoping to entice students to look at drafting careers. The college will be hosting a career night Wednesday, and it also offers tours so students can check out the drafting program.

The demand for drafters is high in the Columbus area.

“We get calls from people regularly that they are needing drafters. Right now, I don't have enough students at that level to fill that need,” she said. Dewyke said she has 10 new drafting students this year, and there are three others who will be graduating in the up coming months.

Meeting the demand is going to be difficult.

“We have a disadvantage in education because they are downsizing right now. A lot of schools aren't offering those classes. Students aren't exposed to it,” she said.