Ryan Good

The demand is very high for our students. That's evidenced by our 98% placement rate. We often have employers show up with opportunities and we just don't have enough students to fill them. I think that's a result of the skill sets that our students have. It's very diverse. They are not just welders here. We make sure that they're also effective communicators and troubleshooters. We try to promote a systems mindset so they can get to the root cause of problems. They look at improving a system, rather than blaming some of the problems on the people in the system. That really helps them have an impact when they get into the industry. We create scenarios in the labs that challenge them and are based on real-world scenarios. They have a comfort level so they're capable and able to handle some of the things that industry throws at them. I think that plays a large part in our placement.

We push internships very heavily. We've had students have internships between their freshman and sophomore years. We'll make sure they diversify and work for different companies and get different exposures. Then, as a result of that experience, coupled with the education they're getting here, many times they have their jobs lined up by their junior years. There are some seniors who are looking for jobs as graduation draws near, but for the most part, students have confidence knowing that they're going to be gainfully employed well before they graduate.

The feedback that we get from industry is how well prepared they are and the impact that they're able to have. Quite often, the expectations are kind of low for graduates because of a lack of experience. But we consistently get feedback that they exceeded expectations. As a result, we continue to drive our curriculum and our program to make sure that we continue to do so. There's a large effort towards continuous improvement, with not only our curriculum, but the skill sets that our students have. And we have to instill those values into our students as well.

They are. They make an impact and are leaders. We try to instill upon them, not only why they're doing the things they're doing, but the hows and the ins and the outs of it. And then as a result, they're able to teach other people. I think that's really what makes our students capable and good leaders. They're able to enhance the company they work for, but also the people they work with.

It's extremely rewarding. Working in industry in and of itself is rewarding. But the rewards you get from having an impact with these students, and the feedback you get as a result, are too. For example, if I made an improvement on a product and the industry, it was because I was proud of the product and I wanted to make an improvement for my customers, but I usually never got to meet my customers. So now when I make an improvement and it has an impact, I hear it directly from them. I hear it from the companies that they work for. Oftentimes I hear it from their parents. It's a lot more fulfilling. I get a lot of feedback relative to student success. Every day I make a difference and I try and make sure that I'm preparing the students to also make a difference.

There's an energy here that I haven't seen replicated anywhere else. You walk through the campus and it's beautiful. It's well groomed. You can tell that everybody cares. From the landscapers all the way out through, to the instructors. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced anywhere else. I missed it when I graduated from Penn College a while back. But, when I came back here to work, it was still the same. So I was very excited about that. There's a buzz on campus about, you know, people caring and doing good things and trying to improve themselves and others. You can see it everywhere on campus.