From robots to welding, QC students get a look at work world

Maddi Lang has a career path in mind – perhaps in cosmetology. But on Tuesday, April 29, the 15-year-old Davenport North High School student attended an event that was meant to expand her job-search horizons. She was one of more than 100 Quad Cities area students who attended the second annual Student Success Symposium at […]

Maddi Lang has a career path in mind – perhaps in cosmetology. But on Tuesday, April 29, the 15-year-old Davenport North High School student attended an event that was meant to expand her job-search horizons. She was one of more than 100 Quad Cities area students who attended the second annual Student Success Symposium at the RiverCenter in downtown Davenport.

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During part of that event, the Davenport student visited several tables that had potential employers telling the young people about jobs, training requirements and even sharing hands-on demonstrations.  One table featured members of Local Union 25 Plumbers and Pipefitters  of Rock Island, who told students about careers in the skilled trades. The union also set up a demonstration that allowed students to do a little welding on a pipe assembly.  Maddi was one of those students who took on the welding challenge. “I want to go into cosmetology, but I liked doing the welding today,” she said. The career event also gave the dozens of high school students on hand a chance to talk with employers at about 50 tables, ask a lot of questions and attend career workshops in the afternoon. The event was presented by the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce with sponsorship by the Hubbell Waterman Foundation. “I hope they leave her today with a ton of questions,” said James Porter, vice president of talent and inclusion for the QC Chamber. During the introduction to the symposium, Mr. Porter told students from nine area high schools to take advantage of the event and learn all they could about different careers. “Today is all about you. … Make sure you visit every table. Make sure you are asking questions and getting answers,” he said. Many of those students were busy asking questions and meeting the representatives of many area businesses, schools and organizations. One of the most visited tables was one with leaders from Nestle Purina – Davenport. Students were interested in the table because the company brought a special guest to the event – a dog-like robot named “Spot” that was built by the company Boston Dynamics. “Spot” has an important job at Nestle Purina. The robot goes on the factory floor and does predictive maintenance work. Spot has two main jobs at the company  –  using a sensor attached to the robot to check for compressed air leaks in machines, and using a thermal sensor to see if machinery is starting to overheat. In other words, it checks for small problems in the factory machinery and alerts company officials before they become big problems. (The Nestle Purina plant in Clinton, Iowa, has used a similar robot.) “We want to fix the machines before they blow up,” said Kyle White, an assistant engineer manager with Nestle Purina, who set up the robot demonstration at the student symposium. Mr. White brought Spot into the RiverCenter with the help of a hand-held computer tablet. He used the tablet to give commands to Spot so it could walk into the center and go to the Nestle Purina table. The Nestle Purina official said that Spot has the ability to make his way to destinations without a lot of commands.  For instance, Mr. White said he could have put a destination into the tablet and Spot would have found its way to the correct table on its own. It also has the ability to avoid obstacles during the journey, such as people and other tables. The Nestle Purina representative added that he brought Spot for the benefit of the students. He wants them to see some of the technology that is being used today in area factories. “I hope they see they have an opportunity to work with things they don’t always see, like Spot,” he added. Other employers at Tuesday’s event didn’t have a dog-like robot, but they did fill their tables with a variety of goodies, games and activities to attract students. DuTrac Credit Union brought its mobile branch vehicle to the event. They also got students involved in a financial activity – testing their skills by counting piles of money. At Hy-Vee’s, company reps displayed grocery products, toy Hy-Vee trucks, notepads and small bottles of hand sanitizer. The Russell table was filled with information sheets on the company, and pamphlets outlining different jobs at the company, such as project engineer, safety officer and project manager. Many of the students said they liked what they saw and heard at the many tables. “I’m going to college for sports PT (physical therapy). … I like looking around what they have here,” said Nick Tronnes, 18, a Davenport North High School senior. Other students said they were just starting their career searches, and found the information presented Tuesday very valuable. “I just want to look around today, maybe find a future employer. … I’m not sure what I want to do yet,” said Frankie Lewis, 15, a freshman at Davenport Central. The many company, school and group leaders said they were happy to meet with the students. Here is a sampling of what some had to say:

• Holly Galvin, a talent generalist at Russell: “I hope to inspire them to a career in construction. … There are so many jobs available in the field.”
• Sarah Perry, a recruiter with Hy-Vee: “There’s a lot more to Hy-Vee than the grocery store. … Students should know there are truck drivers, IT and a lot more to the company.”
• Joe Goetz, airport operations manager at the Quad Cities International Airport: “I hope the students see there are a wide variety of careers at the airport. … There is a career track of jobs at the airport.”
• Chris Wacker, director of operations at Iowa 80 Group: “There’s so many good opportunities for good-paying jobs. They have options, even if they decide not to go to college.”
• Lauren Olson, a network engineer at Twin State Technical Services: “I hope they learn that technology can be fun, and it’s not as scary as the world makes it out to be.”

The chamber’s Mr. Porter said he hopes the students leave the symposium with a new sense of passion about the work world. “I hope the students are fired up as to what’s around the corner for them,” he said.