Co-op employee excels in machining skills
Todd Gozzard, Hodgenville, comes from a long line of machinists, and he is already well on his way to continuing the family tradition.
The 2010 graduate of LaRue County High School began taking machine tool classes at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College during his senior year. Todd won first place for precision machining in a regional SkillsUSA competition, and attracted the attention of a recruiter from Atlas Machine and Supply in Louisville, one of the premier machine shops in the area.
Atlas offered him a co-op, giving him the opportunity to get to know the company before he begins an apprenticeship, the next step toward his goal of earning his journeyman level certification. It will take about four years and 8,000 hours on the job to achieve journeyman status.
Todd is continuing to work toward an associate degree in machine tool technology at ECTC, which will satisfy his apprenticeship education requirements. He loves working with his hands, and enjoys the challenge of creating something from an idea.
“If something can be imagined, we can create it in 3D. Everything begins with a mold,” he said. “People don’t give much thought into what goes into making or repairing something. Working in a machine shop gives me the chance to figure out how to approach and solve problems.”
Todd is excited about the prospects for the future, and grateful for the opportunities he’s had at ECTC. “I couldn’t have picked a better place to get my machine tool training,” says Todd.
Grant Logsdon, ECTC’s Machine Tool Coordinator, speaks highly of his student. “Todd has an exceptional work ethic and machining skills,” he said.
“Atlas recognized his potential, and now one of the most prestigious machine shops in Kentucky is very happy with him, and we are very proud that he is one of our students. Todd will be very successful at whatever he does.”
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The above story about Todd is an excerpt from an article appearing in Todd’s hometown newspaper in Hodgenville. Our thanks to Mary Jo King, public relations manager at ECTC, who wrote the article.
Atlas News : 2010-12-01
