NIMS has announced accreditation of the Precision Manufacturing Programs at South Elgin High School and Streamwood High School. The staff and faculty of both schools, and of School District U-46, have met NIMS standards and will continue to set the bar for metalworking training.
This marks the first time that each program has secured NIMS accreditation. In doing so, both high schools demonstrate a continued commitment to providing industry-level training within the state of Illinois and for the greater U.S. manufacturing industry.
To complete the accreditation audit an on-site evaluation took place recently and was conducted by Lead Evaluator Terry Babb (Apex Tool & Mfg., Inc.) and Education Rep Juan Del Castillo (Jane Addams Resource Corporation).
The visit included facility inspections of both metalworking shops, as well as interviews with students, instructors, administrators and local employers. Following these events the evaluation team gathered enough evidence to recommend accreditation and issued above-average ratings in most areas of evaluation including program purpose, facilities, equipment/tooling/measuring devices, administration, instructional staff and advisory committee support.
This accreditation is based on NIMS National Level I Machining Skills Standards with an emphasis on:
- CNC Milling Operations
- CNC Turning Operations
- Job Planning, Benchwork, & Layout
- Measurement, Materials & Safety.
"As a district we embrace the concept of program improvement through evaluation. This allows us to offer precision manufacturing students learning and preparatory experiences that culminate in true career readiness," said Kinasha Brown, School District U-46 Coordinator of Career and Technical Education.
"In order to close `opportunity and achievement gaps' we must first close `excellence gaps.' The NIMS accreditation process exposes School District U-46 to nationally normed industry recognized standards. Such will guide us in benchmarking needed programmatic changes and personnel supports," said Ron Raglin, School District U-46 Assistant Superintendent for Educational Support Programs and Alignment.
Establishing this industry benchmark secures accreditation of each program for the next five years.
For more information contact:
NIMS
10565 Fairfax Blvd., Suite 10
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-352-4971
support@nims-skills.org
www.nims-skills.org
www.nimsready.org
Kinasha Brown
Coordinator of Career and Technical Education
School District U-46
kinashabrown@u-46.org