Student earns degree through MoManufacturingWINS

When Tim Noel found himself bouncing from part-time job to part-time job, it was his mother and the state’s MoManufacturingWINs program at Ozarks Technical Community College that changed his life.

As his frustration in being unable to find full-time work grew, his mother, Rebecca Noel, an accounting clerk in the technical education and special academic programs at OTC, told her son about the MoManufacturingWins program.

The program is a statewide training network that creates opportunities for students to obtain the training they need to work in modern manufacturing shops. It enables students to attend a community college and earn industry-recognized credentials that validate students’ mastery of skills in specific areas of manufacturing.

“I had done jobs here and there and finally, I called my mom up and said, ‘I can’t keep this up. I can’t support a family like this.’ I had a fianc. My mom told me about the program and kept me posted,” the 33-year-old Noel said.

Noel went into machine manufacturing despite not having any experience with heavy machinery, although he had a background in carpentry.

“The program was amazing. The instructors had so much knowledge to share. I was scared to death of the math, but the instructors broke it down and talked us through it,” said Noel, who plans to marry his fianc in July.

After completing the 17-week course to receive his certificate in Machine Tool Technology this past spring semester, Noel, a native Springfieldian, is working full-time at Clay & Bailey Manufacturing in Kansas City, where he operates lathe equipment.

“It was a complete 180 degree turnaround in my pride and confidence after earning the certificate. I came away with that confidence, skills and knowledge to walk in somewhere and say that this is what I can do. I’m here if you want me. No more nervousness. I stand just as good a chance as anyone now to get a job.”