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Student Success Story 

James Freeman

Certificates: Composites Inspection 
Composites Manufacturing 
Plastics Manufacturing
Tool Design 

When did you decide to come to Cerritos College? Why?
I decided to attend in fall of 2017. Having previously worked in construction with my dad, I wanted to switch to a more technical field and had always been interested in composites. Cerritos College was the only school in Southern California that offered courses in composites.

Were there challenges you had to overcome (personally or academically) to attend?
The distance was the biggest challenge for me. It is a 120-mile roundtrip to come to campus and I had class four days a week while working full time.

Have any faculty/staff members helped you in particular?
I took most of my classes with Mike Fitzgerald. He worked in the plastics/composites industry most of his career and advised me to take classes in Engineering Design Technology and Machine Tool Technology. He said that those two department classes would help with my understanding of manufacturing and engineering, and make me stand out to future employers.

What about your program has helped you succeed?
I think it’s the quality of the program and its reputation. After completing only a few classes and putting them on my resume, I started getting job offers left and right. Even at my current job which is 60 miles away from Cerritos College, I applied and the next day I interviewed and got a job offer on the spot. They said it was because I went to Cerritos College. They knew of the composite program at Cerritos College and recognized its importance based on former employees who had also completed the program.

What are/were your plans after college?
My goal is to get a job at either one of the big aerospace companies or somewhere that’s doing new and exciting things with composites. After graduating, I plan to still attend Cerritos College part-time to obtain more certificates and further my education.

Is there any advice you would like to give to a new student considering and/or entering the same field as you?
Make it a point to talk to your instructor. Mike Fitzgerald was able to give me advice on what courses to take and what skills employers would be looking for that would help me stand out as a candidate. Also do your own research, follow companies that you are interested in and check their website and job postings to make sure your education aligns with what the industry is looking for.

Certificate Requirement Courses 

Composites Inspection
PMT 100 Plastics Manufacturing 
PMT 151 Composites Fabrication
PMT 159 Injection Molding
ENGT 116 Blueprint Reading 
ENGT 117 Geometrical Dimensioning and Tolerancing 
ENGT 259 SolidWorks Introduction
MTT 56 CNC Shop Inspection
MTT 68 Computer-Assisted Inspection Using Verisurf

Composites Manufacturing 
ENGT 100 Soft skills for Manufacturing Technology, and Engineering professionals 
ENGT 116 Blueprint Reading 
ENGT 131 Design Fundamentals including 3D Modeling
MTT 56 CNC Shop inspection
PMT 151 Composites Fabrication
PMT 152 Composites Air-Frame Assembly
PMT 161 Fiberglass Technology
PMT 176 Vacuum infusion Process (VIP)/ Resin Transfer Molding (RTM)

Plastic Manufacturing 
ENGT 100 Soft skills for Manufacturing Technology, and Engineering professionals 
ENGT 116 Blueprint Reading 
ENGT 117 Geometrical Dimensioning and Tolerancing 
ENGT 131 Design Fundamentals including 3D Modeling
MTT 56 CNC Shop inspection
PMT 100 Plastics Manufacturing
PMT 159 Injection Molding
PMT 172 Tooling for Plastics

Tool Design 
ENGT 116 Blueprint Reading 
ENGT 117 Geometrical Dimensioning and Tolerancing 
ENGT 259 SolidWorks Introduction
ENGT 263 SolidWorks for Industrial Mold Tools Design 
PMT 100 Plastics Manufacturing
PMT 151 Composites Fabrication 
PMT 172 Tooling for Plastics