Learning and Teaching: Westmoreland Student Trains Kennametal Employees

October 8, 2019 Mount Pleasant, Pa.

George Lang is a fixture at the Westmoreland County Community College Advanced Technology Center. He is completing several degrees while working as a Lab Aide at the ATC.  Now, Lang can add teacher to his resume.

When the college’s Workforce Development department agreed to provide machining training for Kennametal employees who work in different areas of the company, Dan Kepple, lead machining instructor for Westmoreland’s credit programs, offered to oversee the program while having Lang and another fourth-term student teach the group.

“He’s done very well. He’s gone far beyond his training and he picked it up very quickly,” Kepple said.

Lang brought a unique perspective to teaching the group and was able to help them beyond what he had learned.

“I told Mr. Kepple ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve learned more in teaching than I did in the class,’” Lang said. He had to answer students’ questions and help them solve problems that in some cases, he never experienced himself during a class.

“I’m pulling up my stuff and looking to see how I made it work,” Lang said.

Lang came to Westmoreland after he was laid off from his job at an industrial company. He participated in the college’s microcredentials program, a noncredit program that included both welding and machining. He decided to continue with the credit program and is currently studying  welding, manual and computer numeric control (CNC) machining, mechanical drafting and computer-aided drafting and design/computer-aided manufacturing.

“At 40 years old, I have to stack my deck a little bit,” Lang said. “You can hire a guy who’s 20 years old and can give you a lot of years, but he’s a welder. It’s harder to find that guy who can run every piece of the shop.”

Lang came to the college with some welding experience at his previous job. One of his main goals is to become a Certified Welding Inspector (CWI), a credential he can earn once he completes his welding degree.

“I was tired of being beat up for doing things that somebody who had the papers would get paid more,” Lang said.

He recommends the college every chance he gets.

“I haven’t had any instructors here who you are a seat number to them. They actually got to know you,” Lang said. “It’s like you have been working with them, a work environment. It makes a difference in your day wanting to come here.”