Neil Hassler was working as the production supervisor for a local manufacturing company when his plant was closed and operations were transferred to Mexico.
Quickly closing in on age 50, Neil knew that he was comfortable with a career based around manufacturing, but he needed to learn more.
"The company started introducing schools and showing us different places where you could go," said Neil, whose daughter Monica attends RACC. "This was the only place I knew of that offered this type of education."
Neil enrolled in RACC's mechatronics associate degree program in August 2010 and is on pace to finish his degree next spring. Although he has more than 30 years of experience at nine different plants, Neil knows more education will make a difference.
"I have familiarity with some things, but the electronic and PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) courses – that is the future," he said. "I thought it was better to get this experience now to market myself. It gives me a much wider field to go into."
Born in Lyons, Neil served several years in the military before settling back in Berks County and now resides in Topton. He was connected with Deka Batteries and asked about the pay levels of different positions in the plant. People pointed him toward the foundry.
"I got the bug and discovered that I liked melting things," he said. "I became very proficient in an industry that no longer exists."
Instead of going to a job every day, Neil heads over to the Schmidt Training and Technology Center. While he jokes about how much time he spends in the labs, he appreciates the flexibility the program offers. "This program lets me move faster in areas where I'm already knowledgeable and just need a refresher, so that I can move on to the things that I don't have the knowledge of."
Neil also finds comfort in the fact that there are others at RACC who share his story.
"There are a lot of us in the same situation where our jobs just disappeared," he said. "Folks here give you a good track to follow. Rich (Fasnacht) has been a big help, even though he's younger than me, he's ahead of me in the program and has been a mentor to me."
The biggest thing that surprised him about college and classes was writing.
"I learned I have some natural abilities with writing," he said. "It was not as hard as I thought it would be. Or it could just be that I'm the oldest person in the class with a lot of experience to write about."
