Bill Dial is a UACCM industry partner for our Computer-Aided Drafting and Design Technology program. He is an Engineering Technician 3 at Kimberly-Clark Corporation in Maumelle, Arkansas. Get to know him below! What are the benefits of partnering with UACCM for yourself and the college? I have been very blessed with a great career so I enjoy helping UACCM with their curriculum to prepare students for a career in my profession. I also get to meet people who work in different industries and learn from them. Why should others serve on advisory committees? UACCM really listens to committee members and adjusts their curriculum based on our input. The UACCM faculty always makes us feel very appreciated, and you get to meet many other industry professionals. What do you enjoy most about your career? I enjoy the challenge of designing machine improvements for manufacturing equipment used by our company around the world. Why should students consider a career in your field? An as...

This featured industry partner serves on our Drafting advisory board! David DeFrancisco of Innovation Industries Inc. is an Application Engineering Manager that helps our program succeed. Learn more about him and his involvement with UACCM below. What are the benefits of partnering with UACCM? Partnering with UACCM allows our company an inside look at the methods, subject matter, and computer software that UACCM employs. It also allows us to talk with current and prospective students guiding them in their chosen career paths. Why should students consider a career in drafting? There is a large demand for drafters today. Everything that is made had to be drawn first. Then, if needed, all the tooling that is required to make that part has to be drawn also. There are many jobs that are unfilled due to the lack of qualified applicants. Graduating with an associate degree with little or no debt and starting a career is a great option. What do you enjoy about your career? For me personally, I...

Shamard Thomas, recent graduate of the Computer-Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) Technology program, took home silver in the nationals SkillsUSA competition for architectural drafting.  The 2021 SkillsUSA Championships were held virtually from June 14-24, 2021. Over 3,700 students from every state in the nation competed in the Championships, making it the largest skill competition in the world.   “My initial introduction with SkillsUSA was during my 10th grade year of high school when I had just begun taking architecture and architectural design seriously,” said Thomas. “The organization was introduced to my fellow peers and I on the first day of our drafting class by our teacher, Randy Wiedmaier. After learning about the organization, what they represented, and what the competitions held for my trade, I was hooked.” “Shamard was a wonderful student,” said Kristen Karetov, CADD Technology Instructor and SkillsUSA Club sponsor. She was thrilled knowing that this is the bes...