Striving for Improvement: A first-person success story
Click Bond's own Manufacturing Technician, Lindsay Moore, earns Siemens Mechatronics Certificate.
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Six years ago, I was working as a teller at a bank, and although I liked the job, there weren’t enough opportunities for advancement outside of sales. I was constantly looking for better opportunities and over the years submitted dozens of applications across several industries, but was never able to get my foot in the door. I was unable to support myself and my son, and was living with my parents. My situation was unsustainable.
I have now earned my Associate of Applied Science degree in Automated Systems, the Manufacturing Technician Level 1 (MT1) certification, accomplished the platinum level on the National Career Readiness Certification (NCRC), and was one of nine students to merit the Siemens Certified Mechatronic Systems Assistant Level 1 Certification. I started working with Click Bond in Carson City in April 2016, and I finally found a career with exciting and challenging opportunities in a professional and forward-thinking environment. As a department, we analyze and improve the manufacturing processes, and as an individual contributor I also maintain and troubleshoot automated machines.
The Siemens Mechatronics course of study is the best hands-on, real world program offered in the Automated Systems area at Western Nevada College. There is a real automated system made up of actual industrial equipment to operate and troubleshoot in the teaching lab. As a class, we were able to watch the normal operations of the machine, and break it down into its main systems of mechanics, pneumatics, electronics and Programmable Logic Controls (PLCs). Working as a team which is important on the job we went through diagrams, documents, and schematics for individual components such as valves, sensors, pneumatic tubing, and electrical wires. We learned how different types of sensors work, why fiber optics are good for certain situations but proximity sensors are better for another application, etc.
I recommend this hands-on learning and team-centered certification program to everyone who is interested in expanding their knowledge and their career opportunities, including engineers who are looking for hands-on training. Click Bond has made the Siemens Mechatronics Level 1 certification a requirement for the Manufacturing Tech III and Lead position so that employees who want to expand their horizons will be prepared to do so.
Siemens Mechatronics Level 2 (Associate) is coming up soon! I look forward to the opportunity to earn the next certification to increase my value as an employee for Click Bond and to demonstrate the value of this certification so that it becomes an industry standard in our area.