Clint Kemper Jr. is the first MHS student to be part of the iD Castings School to Work program. Clint first approached the company to see if they'd be interested in having a student intern. iD Castings representatives said they are glad to be part of the community allowing students to explore workforce opportunities. Prior to Clint joining the iD Castings team, they ensured that he had proper onboarding that included safety procedure instruction. The company already has an agreement with Indiana State University where they bring in 1-3 college interns to work closely with various departments including manufacturing/mechanical engineering, safety, and maintenance.
Clint's supervisors report that his previous experience in welding has made him an asset in the machine shop. Jeff Frost, maintenance supervisor said that they are working with Clint to go through the 5S Organizational Workflow program that will prepare him to be certified later if he chooses to complete the program. Chase Catt, 2019 graduate of MHS also supervises Clint and he feels that they are providing him with skills to work on preventive maintenance and predictive measures that will serve him well in the future.
Jeff Frost also said that there are so many areas that potential employees could be involved in such as mechanical engineering, fabrication, hydraulics, and even robotics. This wide ranging sphere offers a great opportunity for people interested in manufacturing. Jeff hopes that students like Clint will have a good grasp of basic maintenance skills and take pride in what he works on and do it with confidence.
Clint said he chose the close proximity of iD Castings to work at since he is involved in several extra curricular activities. He also likes the family atmosphere and the wide variety of equipment he is able to use and the fabrication he is able to do. He said his family business gave him welding experience. Clint also took a dual credit course through Lake Land College while a junior.
Kathy Hoalt, HR Manager said that Clint works approximately 20 hours a week and has good attendance and can be counted on. "He's been an asset and we hope to be able to have future students from MHS as part of the School to Work program."