| Vince’s most valuable experience during his studies at George Brown was “anything and everything to do in the shop. I was looking for a challenge and it’s pretty cool to take a block of metal and turn it into a working device. All the instructors had great attitudes towards learning and spreading their knowledge of the trade.”
After graduation, Vince secured employment as a Junior Rehabilitation Technologist with Ideas for independent living Inc. “My days in the ideas shop are far from typical! I face new challenges everyday, whether it’s attaching an iPad to a wheelchair or developing new ways to pedal a bike. The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that my skills are being used to help others.”
Thomas Hoang
Mechanical Technician – Tool & Die – T143
Graduated: 2009
“George Brown College helped me crossover to the “real world” work force by opening my eyes and immersing me in a lot of things I needed to see or experience myself first-hand.” explains Thomas Hoang who graduated from the Mechanical Technician – Tool & Die program in 2009.
“I used all the resources available to me, whether it was the Industry Liaison Office, GBCareers, the free resume critique classes or the amazingly helpful faculty at GBC. They all helped me get me out there to showcase my skills and potential to possible employers. I urge you to use every possible means George Brown has available to help promote yourself to potential employers!”
Thomas is currently employed with Concept Tooling & Manufacturing as a Tool & Die Apprentice. “I work very closely with a Tool Maker, where I am assigned to working with raw material to make parts needed for the tool. I fly-cut, counter bore, grind, drill & tap holes, and assemble the parts by running the tool in the press. The most rewarding part about my job is having the satisfaction of knowing all the time and effort that went into producing the tool resulted in it being within tolerances.”
“When I was a kid, I had never dreamed of being employed in this field, but here I am, as a registered Tool & Die Maker with the Ontario Government!”
Adri Juricka
Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design - T121
Graduated 2008
As a child, Adri was the kind of person who took things apart to see how they worked. “My best friend’s dad was an engineer who had done some very famous work. That was an inspiration to me and I wanted to learn how the world works and to make something beneficial to society. I’m also the one in my group of friends explaining the scientific side of things and talking about how things work. The program was a logical choice for me, really. It helped me pursue that avenue and see how things are really made from scratch from raw materials and the processes that can be performed on them.”
Prior to applying to GBC, Adri took a year of courses at York University, but decided to focus on something more practical. “I was finding it hard to stay interested in my studies when they were purely theoretical. I wanted to be able to explain  ideas that I had and put them onto paper so that someone else would be able to see clearly what I was thinking. This design program was able to teach me just that and keep me interested at the same time.”
Adri feels some of the most memorable moments came while working in the shop and labs at George Brown. “There is nothing like getting immersed in the material and trying it yourself. While the theory takes months to memorize, it just takes a class or two in the lab to get a feel for actually setting up and solving a real-life problem.”
During a field trip to a metal-stamping plant and an information-gathering interview at a GM plant in Oshawa, Adri was able to get a glimpse at the actual industry into which they were headed. “This was a very important step for me because it was the first time I had really seen a manufacturing environment up close. After further research and exploration, I believe I have a good feel for the manufacturing and industry sector in Ontario and a much better understanding of how industry works in general and how to become part of it!”
Education never stops for Adri, who is currently completing an Electrical Engineering degree at Ryerson University.
 Parneet Singh Saggu
Mechanical Technician - Tool and Die – T143
Graduated: 2008
"I owe a lot of my success to teachers who understood my passion about going into the Tool and Die field. They went out of their way to help me, and in fact, I found my first job with the help of a reference from the program coordinator!" explains Mechanical Technician - Tool and Die graduate Parneet Singh Saggu, who got his first job right after graduation working for 2Source Manufacturing as a CNC Machinist.
"I started my career as an apprentice CNC Machinist and am now working as a licensed CNC Machinist. A typical work day involves having my part approved from Quality Assurance, changing tools, setting up the machine for new jobs, and starting production. During production, I have to verify the part visually and check its dimensions, all the while maintaining the machines. The best part of my job is that I am in the Aircraft Industry working with advanced technology!"
During his studies at George Brown, Parneet achieved a Silver Medal for Precision Machining 2010 - Post-secondary at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition. What's next for Parneet? "When I was a child, I always want to be an Engineer and I am keen to start my study again to achieve my goal!"
 Ilan Lustgarten
Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design - T121
Graduated 2007
“Growing up, I was always the kid opening everything I could get my hands on and figuring out how it was built” explains Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design graduate Ilan Lustgarten. “I definitely wanted to become an Architect or an Engineer.”
Ilan chose the 3 year Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design program “because I wanted to get the most out of a school that would prepare me for real life, being fundamentals and hands-on experience. I felt I would be in an environment where everyone learns and succeeds together, helping each other with questions, and where my personal opinions were valued. My time with the School of Mechanical Engineering Technologies gave me all sorts of experiences, not only in the academic and hands-on parts, but also in growing, having responsibility, commitment and dedication.”
After attending George Brown College’s annual Construction and Engineering Technologies Career Fair, Ilan soon secured a position with H.H. Angus & Associates Limited as a Mechanical Designer where he spends his days designing HVAC, plumbing and fire protection systems, from calculations and fundamentals to detail drawings and specifying equipment, for mostly the Healthcare industry.
“I will never stop learning, and trying to improve myself. I am planning on learning more of the business I’m working with right now, by taking courses, a lot of them being offered at GBC, and making myself more specialized and experienced for the field.”
Jerzy Lipka
Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design - T121
Graduated 1997
 “It is impossible to be prepared for everything that is out there in industry; however George Brown College provided great foundations
that you can actually build upon wherever you might end up.” explains Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design graduate
Jerzy Lipka.
“As a perfect example, my first job involved designing automated stations and assembly lines for automotive industry. The company used
the same design software and technical writing styles I had learned in the program.”
Growing up and moving to Canada when he was 15, Jerzy spent his time on drawing, mechanics, assembling and always questioning how things work. “On
top of that I realized that I like things organized and if possible, improved!”
Jerzy is currently employed with Wittmann Canada Inc. as
a Project Co-ordinator, where a typical work day involves coming up with turn-key solutions to clients needs in the material handling production
machinery. “Based on the requirements I have to coordinate a project from the sales order to the shipment. This involves equipment selection,
design, calculations and proper project management; as well as maintaining documentation involving bill of materials, data bases and shop work
orders. Basically I am over seeing the project through all the stages of concept, design and manufacturing.”
top
Lawrence Lee
Mechanical Technician Tool and Die - T143
& Mechanical Engineering Technology-Design – T121
Graduated 2008
 After
an exceptional academic career at George Brown that included a Dean’s Award, a gold medal at Ontario Skills, a silver at Skills Canada,
a Governor General’s Academic Award, and two diplomas, Lawrence Lee is moving on.
The two-time graduate who earned diplomas in Mechanical Technician – Tool and Die and Mechanical Engineering Technology-Design this spring,
heads to the University of Toronto in September to complete what he set out to do four years earlier - a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical
Engineering. [Read
the full article about Lawrence Lee]
top
Annie Lam
Mechanical Technician - Tool and Die – T143
Graduated 2008
 Annie Lam found her way to the machine shop floor as a tool and die maker after much trial and error. By the age of 24, her resume included job titles like curator, caterer, hair stylist, makeup artist and graphic designer. None of these positions satisfied her yearning to work with her hands. “I kept failing because I hadn’t yet found my niche,” she says.
That all changed the first time she filed down a piece of sheet metal. She describes the experience of watching the splinters and cuts in the material soften and disappear, amidst noise and flying shrapnel, as “intense” and “joyful.”
“Before that, I had never had any contact with machining. I was surprised at how at home I felt,” she says. The Hong Kong native who arrived in Canada at the age of eight was pegged as a visual artist at a young age, and was streamed into a classical fine art education in high school. Three years into an undergraduate degree in fine arts, she grew frustrated with the lack of technical instruction being given to students, such as the proper molding and casting techniques for sculpting.
George Brown’s Mechanical Technician - Tool and Die program offered the practical education she sought.
“Tool and Die teaches you how to make a product with precision and finesse,” she says. “It’s more like a science of art. George Brown gave me the skills and understanding to know what is physically possible when creating something instead of just having a vision without knowing how to realize it.”
She has also redefined what is possible for herself as a small, petite woman working in a largely male dominated field. Her gender hasn’t deterred her from excelling in the classroom or in the workplace. In the third semester of her program, she qualified for an industry co-op with Prosin Molds, a company that provides injection molds to the plastics industry. She got her first job right after graduation working for 2Source Manufacturing as a Machinist Pre-Apprentice. The company supplies bushings for commercial aircrafts. While there she got hands-on experience using Computer Numeric Control (CNC) live machining.
“I owe a lot of my success to teachers who understood my passion about going into the field. They went out of their way to help me,” she says.
Today, she’s found her niche as a process engineer for Ben Machines, a fully integrated manufacturing facility. She is a key link between the engineers and the machinists, enabling both groups to recognize the needs and practical realities of the other. Her experience working as a tool and die maker enables her to understand processes beyond the plans. And even though the job takes her off of machines and into an office she remains fully involved with the process of creation.
“I still get to see things being made but I am learning to see it in a very different perspective through drawings and management instead of working with my hands,” she says.
That said she made sure to include a provision in her negotiations with Ben Machines which allows her to come in on Saturdays to work on the machines.
“They don’t need me, I just do it for fun,” she says. She adds with a smile, “It’s slightly an obsession.”
top
Mark Morreale
Mechanical Engineering Technology - Design - T121
Graduated 2003
 "I
was impressed; I thought we would just be using AutoCAD," Mark
Morreale explains. "Originally I was planning to apply to university after
second year, but I liked what we were doing so much that I stayed."
When
asked what kind of high school student would be suitable
for this program, Mark says, "Well like me, if your favorite class
was shop class, and you didn't really like math class,
you'll like it. You don't go into purely theoretical
stuff; you learn how machines are
designed and manufactured, you learn the formulas that
you'll use 90 per cent of the time, instead of some obscure
thing that's only used
5 per cent of the time." [Read
the full article about Mark Morreale...]
top
Read more stories from George Brown
Graduates...
To learn more, visit the George
Brown College Alumni page.
|
