SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Ivy Tech Community College received a significant donation from a local manufacturing company on Thursday.
The donation was given with the intent to help train Machine Tool Technology students at the South Bend-Elkhart college.
MSC, a local solution-based company that helps manufacturers across the country become more productive, donated a new optical comparator to the South Bend campus Thursday afternoon.
The donated device is commonly used to magnify images and allows for precise measurement within the manufacturing industry.
Sean Steinke, an Ivy Tech student and MSC employee, assisted during the presentation and said the donation will “make a huge impact for the students as they head into the industry. The skills gap with machinists is very large right now.”
Machinists are a high-demand job, especially in Elkhart County where the manufacturing industry employs over 34,000 people.
The device, which costs over $12,000, will help give students experiences they can use in the workforce while still in school and give them an upper hand in the field after graduation.