Comments in this year’s Salary Survey revealed that many fluid-power professionals had one particular concern in common: Newcomers in the industry do not have adequate hands-on training or experience to learn quickly on the job. Hydrotech Inc. tackled this issue head on by donating four new hydraulic training stands to Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. The aim is to help students gain experience in fluid-power testing, design, and troubleshooting before they graduate college.
"These students may be working for us someday or for one of our local clients or partners," says Pete Jones, Hydrotech CEO. "It's a blessing to us that we can help them develop the crucial skills necessary to be successful. Cincinnati State has a wonderful program that's dedicated to advancing manufacturing in this area. Everyone can benefit from that."
The donation of hydraulic training assemblies comes on the heels of last year’s donation of pneumatic trainers to Cincinnati State. Both assemblies are used in Hydrotech factory testing, giving students the most authentic experience possible.
“I let them start on the old equipment, then put them on the new stuff," says Prof. David Simmermon, a Cincinnati State faculty member who uses the lab frequently in his classes. "They can create so many more circuits and have a better understanding of new versus old technology.”
The hope is, after using the trainers over the course of their education, Cincinnati graduates will get a boost in confidence when they see “2 years of experience” on job postings: Four of the most dreaded words to entry-level job seekers.
