Dear NTMA Members and Industry Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the Cleveland Chapter NTMA, (National Tooling & Machining Association) along with Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), will serve as host to the 36th Annual NTMA/NIMS National Apprentice Contest being held April 23-26, 2008.  The event will be held at Tri-C and the host hotel is the Cleveland Marriott Downtown Hotel.  We are most pleased to have Mr. Ken McCreight of Tri-C serve as the Contest Coordinator.

We are also honored to announce that Mr. Lee Fisher, Lt. Governor of Ohio and Director of Development, will serve as the event’s Honorary Chairman.

The Cleveland Chapter of NTMA has had a contestant in the national contest for 30 of the last 35 years that the contest was held. The 2007 contest was hosted by the Pittsburgh Chapter of NTMA along with their training partner, New Century Careers. The contest consists of an intense two-day program where competitors are required to produce projects using lathes, mills, and surface grinders as well as demonstrate their general knowledge in a written exam. The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) is used as a qualification requirement. Besides prevailing in their local competition, each Regional Champion has to successfully complete the online exam for the NIMS Machining Level I: Measurement, Materials, and Safety credential to be eligible for the national contest. The contest is held to recognize and reward excellence, to promote workforce development in our industry, and to test the knowledge and hands-on skills of graduating students in the precision tooling and machining industry.

The NTMA represents approximately 1600 member companies in the US Precision Custom Manufacturing industry and includes 50 chapters throughout the United States. Members design and manufacture tools, dies, fixtures, molds, special machines, and precision-machined components as well as provide a wide range of engineering, fabrication and assembly services for global customers. For additional information visit the NTMA homepage at www.ntma.org or contact the NTMA Education Department.

As you can imagine, this is a HUGE event for our Chapter. Please help us spread the word and support this great cause. For additional information, or questions, please contact the Chapter office.

Kindest regards,

Robert Hotujac
Chapter President, Kennick Mold & Die
Cleveland Chapter, NTMA