Workforce Strategies

Lampin Crafts Tomorrow’s Manufacturing Employees

By Thomas Caywood

To the employee owners of Lampin Corporation, interns aren’t just a rotating cast of young people who come and go each summer with little long-term effect on the company. The Uxbridge-based manufacturer of critical components considers interns to be a vital component of Lampin’s culture of employee ownership and innovation.

The company’s internships typically last for two years, during which time student interns contribute significantly to Lampin’s precision operations. Many ultimately decide to stay on with the company as regular employees after their internships are completed, while others may choose to pursue post-secondary education to continue their training.

After a thorough search, the company recently welcomed its most recent crop of four interns and two co-ops. The co-ops differ from interns in that they work for shorter periods at a time, often during the summer while school is out of session. The company’s interns, in most cases, work part-time for two years while finishing high school.

Lampin selected the six students from a pool of applicants spanning 11 high schools in the Blackstone Valley area. The interns and co-ops were chosen based on trustworthiness, work ethic, and curiosity.

"We search for individuals who demonstrate that they want to work, want to learn, and want to be a team player," Lampin Chief Executive Officer Bill DiBenedetto said. "They must be responsible. That’s to say that they stay committed to a work schedule and they fulfill the instructions given to them by their group leaders."

Research indicates the number of high school students who pursue internships has surged by about 30 percent since 2001. Students who successfully complete internships have an approximate 70 percent chance of being offered permanent jobs at the firms where they interned, according to some measures.

During their two years at Lampin, the six students will gain hands-on experience in precision CNC machining, LEAN manufacturing and ISO-certified quality control. They will contribute to the production of precision components for state-of-the-art medical imaging equipment, instruments and industrial robots.