FLORENCE — Three students from Florence School District 1’s Florence Career Center are the first to receive certification in the Mechatronics Core Curricular from the National Center for Construction Education and Research.
Jason Zheng and Rajagh Harrison, both of South Florence High School, as well as Sheldon Ford, a student at Wilson High School, all have been certified in the areas of safety, hand tools, power tools, blueprints, rigging, communications and job seeking skills, said Jim Johnson, a mechatronics instructor at the center.
Students received a diploma, a certification card and transcript after completing eight written and hands-on exams.
The certification is a voluntary process and doesn’t impact the students’ grade for the course, Johnson said.
The mechatronics curriculum uses specialized equipment to enhance instruction in electrical wiring, circuit breakers and fuses, hydraulics, pneumatics, robotics, electrical blueprints and other topics.
Zheng, who was the captain of Florence 1’s Florence Technomancers robotics team, said the mechatronics course is more than just an average high school course. He said the skills he learned in the class not only helped him on the robotics team but helped him prepare for a career in engineering.
“You learn it and you actually get to use it,” Zheng said. “That’s the fun part as opposed to a lot of other high school courses that you take.”
Zheng said obtaining the certification was just a natural step in his progression to become an engineer.
“It’s like a bonus,” he said. “It doesn’t hurt to have it. It’s just something we decided to do.”
Zheng is a senior and has plans to attend Clemson University to major in mechanical engineering. He has also attends Florence-Darlington Technical College through its dual-credit program.
Both Ford and Harrison agreed the certification will help give them an edge when seeking future employment.
“I knew it would be good to get certified,” Ford said.
Ford said he enjoyed the mechatronics course, especially lessons on CNC machining.
Ford, a 2009 graduate, will attend Clemson University to major in computer engineering. He was also a member of the district’s robotics team.
Harrison said the mechatronics course exposed him to the field of robotics and helped increase his curiosity for wiring and electricity.
With the certification, Harrison said he thinks he could get a better paying job than if he just took the course.
Harrison is a rising senior and has plans to major in electrical engineering at either the University of South Carolina or the University of Miami.
The National Center for Construction Education and Research is a not-for-profit education foundation created to develop industry-driven standardized craft training programs with portable credentials and help address the critical work force shortage facing the construction industry, according to its Web site, www.nccer.org.
On the Web
Florence Career Center, www.fsd1.org/careercenter
The National Center for Construction Education and Research, www.nccer.org
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