Two Mason County individuals who just started college already have landed jobs with Nucor Steel West Virginia.
Point Pleasant residents Ethan Jordan and Cole Miller, recent graduates of Point Pleasant Junior/Senior High School, will work in the maintenance department at the new Nucor steel plant under construction in Apple Grove while enrolled in the SMART (Systems Maintenance, Automation and Robotics Technology) Program at the Marshall University Mid-Ohio Valley Center in Point Pleasant.
The SMART Program is the latest collaboration between the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC) and Mountwest Community and Technical College. Classes are offered in Huntington and Point Pleasant.
Like many manufacturers across the region, Nucor requires skilled team members who know how to maintain and repair complex industrial systems. Company officials along with those from other area manufacturers, assisted MAMC and Mountwest in developing the enhanced industrial maintenance program.
Nucor offered to hire two of the first-year SMART students. After an application process, the steelmaker chose Jordan and Miller to join the Nucor team. The students’ work schedules will allow them to complete their formal education while working at Nucor.
“This year, Nucor Steel West Virginia is proud to sponsor two Mason County students through the SMART program,” said Jim Crenshaw, Cold Mill Maintenance and Engineering Manager at Nucor Steel West Virginia. “We are excited about the partnership between MAMC and Mountwest Community and Technical College to host this industrial program for the region, and especially in Mason County. As we continue progress in building one of the most technically advanced steel mills, Nucor reaffirms our commitment to fostering the next generation of industrial maintenance and automation professionals.”
MAMC Director Derek Scarbro heralded Nucor’s commitment to workforce development and its support for the SMART program.
“This is how you build a strong manufacturing base in West Virginia,” Scarbro said. “Nucor has been there with us every step of the way, from the development and launch of our focused program to the hiring of these students. We are committed to continue developing and growing career skills programs that meet the workforce needs of Nucor and other manufacturers across the region.”
When complete, the $3.1 billion Nucor plant in Mason County will produce up to 3 million tons of sheet metal each year and employ approximately 800 full-time workers. In addition, it will have one of the lowest carbon footprints of any sheet mill in the world. Learn more about Nucor at www.nucor.com.
For details about SMART, visit www.mfg.marshall.edu/smart.
Aug. 30, 2024
