The TIPs Talent Pipeline In Action
A 2017 Jefferson High School graduate, Matthew Walters came to Employment Horizons with some previous work experience. While in high school, Matthew was working as a cashier at McDonald’s. He was rarely scheduled for more than one short shift a week and often was not scheduled for entire months at a time. When he initially began working with Chase, his career counselor here at Employment Horizons, Matthew was very tentative and nervous about transitioning into employment after high school. Together, they worked to increase Matthew’s confidence and build his interview preparation skills.
Matthew made great progress, and in September was hired as an Assembler at Convertech, a leading manufacturer of shafts and other parts. He was originally scheduled to work 7am-3: 30 pm, Tuesday through Friday, enabling him to continue taking courses at County College of Morris (CCM) on Mondays. In December, once he completed his coursework, Matthew’s position was extended to full-time. Since then, Matthew has been given the option to come in early and stay late to complete over-time assignments.
Matthew came to Convertech without any previous manufacturing experience so he started on simple projects such as grinding down a plastic piece in preparation for assembly or cutting rubber tubing to length. Once he successfully mastered these skills, Matthew was assigned to an increasing variety of projects throughout the workshop. He now has experience grinding metal parts, sandblasting, working CNC machines, and assembling parts from blueprints. In addition, Matthew continues to increase his skills and knowledge by taking classes in welding at an evening program at CCM after his shifts at Convertech.
Although there are limited welding projects at Convertech, Matthew has also been assigned to assist the company welder. Most recently, on March 15th Convertech was bought out by a larger manufacturing company, Double E. All employees including Matthew were given the option to stay with the new company. While Matt was initially anxious about the change in management, he decided to retain his position with the new company. He is confident that he can perform his job for his new employer. Matthew is also proud to be the “face” of the company’s recruiting page. Way to go Matt!
It’s creating pathways for new talent to enter the Manufacturing Industry that keeps NJMEP fighting for a brighter future. It was an NJMEP TIP meeting where Employment Horizons connected with Convertech, and the benefits are clear to see. Our industry needs more eager talent; NJMEP and the Talent Networks are here to make sure that happens.
For more information on the Talent Networks and all the good work they do, follow the links below…