IMMOKALEE - Immokalee Technical College is proud to announce that machining instructor and Golden Apple nominee, Ross Porter is the first candidate in the state of Florida to successfully pass the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) inspector exam. Achieving this credential enables Porter, who teaches at ITECH’s satellite school, the Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) in Golden Gate, to inspect and evaluate the craftsmanship of the parts the students machine at iTECH and the CME instead of waiting for Advisory Board business members to check them which could take months.

In addition to Porter sending the scores to NIMS, the students must take a written exam and pass to receive a Machining Level I certificate. There are nine different categories in which Machining Level I certificates can be awarded. “The students measure in thousandths (.001) of an inch. There’s no room for error. A good machinist must adhere to precise dimensions,” explained Porter. “To earn a Certificate of Special Merit you have to have at least seven Machining Level I certificates.”

Porter and his colleague, Greg Richter, machining instructor at iTECH, together boast over 60 years of experience in machining and manufacturing and teaching the trade. It is evident that their students are benefitting from their expertise. In the past four years NIMS has awarded 263 Machining Level I certificates to iTECH students. Of the 64 Certificates of Special Merit awarded throughout the entire state of Florida, 17 were awarded to iTECH students. “There are 56 NIMS affiliated educational institutions in the state of Florida. 26% of all the Certificates of Special Merit came to our iTECH students. We are really proud of that,” Richter said.

‘There are a lot of jobs out there for machinists,” advised Porter. “A good machinist can easily find employment. There aren’t enough machinists to fill all the positions. If you lost your job due to Covid, now is a good time to retrain for a career as a machinist. You can go to iTECH or come to the CME in Golden Gate.”
For more information on machining, call iTECH at 239-377-9900 or the CME at 239-377-6100.