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(GRAPHIC) KCTCS - TRANSFORMING LIVES TRANSFORMING KENTUCKY ONE STUDENT, ONE JOB AT A TIME.
(GRAPHIC) KAREN MEADOWS MILLWRIGHT, FORD MOTOR COMPANY COMPLETED JEFFERSON COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE MACHINE TOOL APPRENTICESHIP
Hi, my name is Karen Meadows.
When I was in my 20’s I got a job at a conveyer factory
and they had a program where you could stay after work and learn how to weld.
I wasn’t quite sure which one was a welder
but as far as the machinery but they taught me.
I studied welding until I passed certification
and I was the first woman to ever do it but this was at the time of a recession
and so I got laid off and never got to use those skills.
Fast-forward 25 years and 15 years with Ford Motor Company
working on the assembly line, and Ford and the UAW
gave me an opportunity to go into the apprenticeship program to become a millwright.
I thought that ship had sailed in my life
but I woke up and I was on a cruise ship.
It was a fantastic opportunity,
Ford and Jefferson Community and Technical College
tailored an education for me that was exactly what I needed.
It started out with a year of welding and not only that
I learned Oxy-Acetylene using a torch, I learned MIG welding
I learned how to use a plasma cutter which
if you’ve ever cut a piece of inch thick steal with a laser beam I’ve got to do that,
I’ve learned TIG welding which is like sowing steel together with a laser beam
so I’ve got to learn some really neat things.
But also I took other courses like computer technology, auto-cad,
calculus, and physics
and I will say that after my first class in physics I cried all the way home
because I didn’t think that I could do it but with help from my teachers,
my classmates, and my husband cheering me on
and my grown children cheering me on, I was able to do it
and they helped me to accomplish things that I needed to accomplish.
When I was at work, ford gave me great teachers that I love dearly that worked hard with me
so that I could understand things that they did, the tools that they used and accomplish the tasks that they had.
Which they weren’t used to it, a 50 year old woman is not their normal student
and so it was a little different for me and my point of reference is different.
So they had to work hard to help me understand and learn those skills, but they did and it was an amazing opportunity
and we worked together as a team to accomplish great tasks and it’s just amazing.
Every day when I walk out I thank god for this opportunity, it’s just incredible and I enjoy it so much
and honestly, I will tell you, there are days when I walk out and I have to laugh because I would do it for free.
I had so much fun that day; I enjoyed myself that day so much that I would do it for free.
It’s just an incredible experience and I thank God for the opportunity to do what I do.
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