Kellogg Community College creates trades mobile trainer through $100,000 Denso grant
Kellogg Community College is enhancing instruction for its industrial trades students through a mobile trainer, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Denso North America Foundation.
During a ceremony at KCC in June, the college recognized DNAF for its support. The company awarded the grant to establish the trainer in 2020. The Bruin Industrial Trades Mobile Trainer brings skilled trades equipment to schools, organizations and community events for presentations and hands-on activities.
During the ceremony at the KCC Regional Manufacturing Technology Center, KCC interim President Paul R. Watson II presented a plaque to DENSO Operations Director Joel Markucki.
“The Bruin Industrial Trades Mobile Trainer is designed to bring KCC’s industrial trades programs to the members of our community, meeting them where they are,” Watson said in a release. “We are grateful to Denso for their support and partnership as we continue to encourage young prospective students to engage in the skilled trades and to see themselves joining this exciting and essential educational pathway.”
The mobile trainer provides flexibility for K-12 school tours at the RMTC by offering engaging and age-appropriate activities, officials said.
“In addition to supporting the communities where we live and work, one of DNAF’s primary goals is making good-paying, rewarding careers found in manufacturing and skilled trades more accessible to more people,” Bob Townsend, vice president of corporate services at DENSO and vice president of DNAF, said in a release. “KCC does so much to connect people in the Battle Creek area with opportunity, and we’re proud to help them continue that mission.”
When the trailer is at the RMTC, it will enhance instruction for current KCC industrial trades students who need extra time and support in developing the skills required in their programs.
Equipment in the trailer includes "tools of the trade” that allow students to handle and experiment with handheld tools and equipment used in fields such as HVACR, pipefitting and electricity/electronics.
Schools or organizations interested in scheduling the Bruin Industrial Trades Mobile Trainer can email lanep@kellogg.edu or call 269-565-2867.
Contact reporter Nick Buckley at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: KCC creates trades mobile trainer through $100,000 Denso grant
