Hear from Lehigh Cement Company's EITs in their own words...
Jeremy Tatarzyn HTC/EIT, Leeds, AL
I graduated from Penn State University in winter of 2004 with a major in chemical engineering and a minor in environmental engineering. I met Lehigh Cement Company through a career fair in my final semester at school. Before talking to the company I knew nothing about the cement industry and had never even heard of Lehigh. After a couple minutes of talking to the recruiters (who happened to be previous EITs) I went from knowing nothing of cement to becoming significantly interested in working for the company as an EIT. Some of the things about the EIT program that interested me were the chance for hands-on engineering, the extensiveness of the training, and the opportunity to see multiple plants.
I started working for Lehigh in February of 2005 at the Leeds, Alabama plant. I've been here for one month now and it did not take long before I found out just how hands-on this training really is. Within the first week here they let me inside one of the finish mills so that I could learn how the equipment works and so I could learn to inspect the equipment. I think that it's wonderful that the training mostly takes place out in the plant, with the actual equipment, rather than inside an office. I believe that this is a much faster way to learn than sitting in a classroom watching training videos. It's also a much more interesting way to learn.
A great thing about being an EIT is that you get in-depth exposure to all areas of the plant. The purpose of this being that in your future career you can make wiser decisions about one section of the plant when you know what is happening up and downstream of your location. Even though I am still in the early stages of my training program I have already been seeing the overview of what's going on in the plant.
The best part about being an EIT is the people that you meet. It is amazing how much my co-workers want to help me learn. Every person I talk to seems to want to teach me everything that they know. Almost every day I will spend several hours shadowing someone; it is a terrific atmosphere for learning.
As an EIT in the earliest stage of the program every day is very interesting and challenging. I am very happy for the opportunity that has been given to me by this program and am looking forward to completing my training and beginning my career.
Jeremy also takes part in our "My Friend at Lehigh" program and is available for serious applicants to discuss their questions and concerns personally with him. Please email Jeremy at jtatarzyn@lehighcement.com for more first-hand information on our EIT program.
Kgosi Stobbs, HTC/EIT
Delta Plant, BC, Canada
The Engineer in Training (EIT) program is designed to develop a foundation of knowledge that the EIT can build on in the future. By giving you exposure to the various aspects of the company, you will receive a well-rounded view of cement plant operations. It involves practical training within the cement plant as well as formal in-class training courses across North America.
I joined Lehigh Cement's EIT program in July of 2004 and am currently in my third month of the program. I work at the Delta plant, which is located just outside of Vancouver, Canada. This position required me to relocate, and the relocation program that Lehigh has set up makes moving very easy. I moved from Edmonton, Alberta, to Vancouver, and Lehigh hired a team of moving experts to ensure the move went smoothly.
When I began, I had no knowledge of the operations in a cement plant. On the surface level, the idea of a cement plant seems quite simple: you take some rock, crush it, burn it, add some more rock and then crush it again. All of which is governed by a chemical equation developed by a man named Bogue. As I have found out, cement plants are much more involved. It is quite amazing to see how this industry has evolved and how technically advanced it has become. For example, one of the first grinding systems was done by the Romans and operated by two people, where today's grinding systems have the capacity of grinding upwards of 500 t/h. Every step of the cement process is checked and analyzed to ensure that the product you produce meets the necessary standards. Today's plants combine conventional techniques along with automation and Programmable Logic Controllers to get quick and reliable data. I believe that it is our job as EITs to help the continuation of that evolution. By absorbing the knowledge of the experienced personnel around us we can learn from what was done before and develop our own ideas as we pave a new trail in the future (A concrete trailJ).
I am at the steepest portion of my learning curve, I look back and am amazed at the amount of knowledge that I've gained and look forward to the person that I will become. Although the EITs are stationed across North America, your program is overseen to ensure homogeneity in the training that is received. That's not to say that you aren't given the flexibility to take on and work on projects as you see fit, it just means that you won't get "lost in the shuffle." In large companies there is a tendency to hire individuals for training that aren't required, ignoring them, and in the end they are inadequately trained. This is not the case in Lehigh, and they have got all the necessary checks and balances to ensure you get the proper training. Currently, I am still shadowing people in various departments and next week I will be in Denver, Colorado to participate in a Career Fair. I am also working on ongoing projects--some given to me and some that I've created.
While I was looking for a company to work for I looked for two major things: proper training and the opportunity to grow based on my ability. Lehigh Cement offers that, and the rest is up to the individual to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. As you can probably tell, I'm happy with the career decision that I have made and encourage you to contact me if you'd like any more information.
Kgosi also takes part in our "My Friend at Lehigh" program and is available for serious applicants to discuss their questions and concerns personally with him. Please email Kgosi at kstobbs@htcnam.com for more first-hand information on our EIT program.
Travis Boob, HTC/EIT
Mitchell, IN
I graduated from Penn State University in the spring of 2003 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. When I graduated from college, the job market was in a slump. I was concerned that I was going to have to take any job offer I got. I was looking for a position that would not have me sitting behind a desk all day and that involved more then just doing calculations. I went to the Penn State career fair in search of such a job. Lucky for me, I came across Lehigh's recruiting booth. After a few minutes of talking to a Lehigh representative about the Engineer-In-Training (EIT) program, I felt like the program would be an excellent opportunity for me.
Now that I am an EIT, what is a typical day like for me? This is a tough question to answer because there seems to be no typical day. Whenever I think I know what I am going to do the next day or the next week, plans change. One day I might find myself sitting in the office looking over proposals for particular project or designing a mounting bracket for a camera, and the next day I could be helping reconstruct a dip tube for a cyclone or learning how to balance fans. So I guess what I am trying to say is that a cement plant is a very dynamic place, which makes it a very exciting place to work. With that being said, there still is overall structure to the EIT curriculum. The idea of the program is to teach candidates every aspect of the plant from the quarry to the shipping department. They also learn how other plants operate by visiting other Lehigh sites. All this training is done so that one day the EIT can make educated decisions based on their understanding of the entire plant operations.
My personal experience so far with Lehigh Cement had me starting at the newest Lehigh plant in Union Bridge, MD for the beginning of my training. This plant taught me about the design of a modern plant and the problems associated with it. A little more than halfway through my year as an EIT I moved to Indiana to train at the Mitchell Plant. Mitchell is an older style plant, which has given me the advantage of seeing both types of plants.
Overall my experience with Lehigh Cement has been great. I thank Lehigh for the opportunity and look forward to working for them for many more years.
Travis also takes part in our "My Friend at Lehigh" program and is available for serious applicants to discuss their questions and concerns personally with him. Please email Travis at tboob@htcnam.com for more first-hand information on our EIT program.
Frank Tedesco, HTC/EIT
I am a recent graduate of the Pennsylvania State University where I majored in Mechanical Engineering. I started working in the Heidelberg Technology Center of Lehigh Cement as an Engineer-in-Training in June of 2004. Lehigh Cement has given me the opportunity to use my engineering background, in a hands-on environment, to work on various pieces of heavy equipment throughout the cement plant without being focused towards one specific process.
Within the first three months of the EIT program I learned a tremendous amount information about the cement process. I have a chance to work on all different types of projects as well as assisting other engineers with their work. The engineers in my department help make the transition from college life to the work force very enjoyable.
My training program focuses on becoming familiar with understanding and creating technical drawings as well as implementing new equipment in the cement process. My training has given me a feel for the layout of a cement plant and an understanding of each piece of equipment.
The most interesting part of working for Lehigh Cement is that I travel to each of their plants throughout North America. Being able to see each site and the different layouts has given me a broad understanding of how similar yet different each place can be. I also enjoy being able to seeing new sites, work on a mixture of projects and meet a wide range of people.
Working for Lehigh Cement has been challenging and exciting. I am very enthusiastic about the work and look forward to completing my training and beginning my engineering career with Lehigh Cement.
Frank also takes part in our "My Friend at Lehigh" program and is available for serious applicants to discuss their questions and concerns personally with him. Please email Frank at ftedesco@htcnam.com for more first-hand information on our EIT program.
John Resh, HTC/EIT
Redding, CA
I recently graduated from the Pennsylvania State University (December, 2003) with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. I had never heard of chemical engineers working for a cement company, but after the career fair when I met the representatives from Lehigh Cement Company, I quickly found out that I was mis-informed. I began working for Lehigh Cement Company in Redding, California this past June. My first position as an Engineer-In-Training (EIT) was in the maintenance department as a maintenance engineer. I was responsible for performing daily inspections of equipment, failure analyses, and project work within the plant. After doing some environmental tasks as well as a small amount of production work, I'm currently participating in a project that involves both plant personnel and corporate engineers. After this project is complete, I will be continuing my training in the production and quality control departments.
From the first few weeks up until now, I have had the chance to do real engineering work as well as learn about the cement industry. After a couple of weeks on the job, I received the responsibility of project manager for a project within the plant. This role provided valuable interactions with contractors and a glimpse into the financial side of the company.
The interactions with the plant and corporate level personnel have provided a valuable insight as to how the company functions as a whole. From the mechanics out in the plant to the engineers on the corporate level, everybody is trying to do their best to help the company move forward. Everyone within the company has been very supportive which creates a very positive learning atmosphere and helps the EIT program thrive. Lehigh Cement also provides seminars periodically throughout the training program to give a well-rounded knowledge base to the EIT participants.
I recommend this program to any potential candidates as a way to start a rewarding career in engineering within the cement industry.
John also takes part in our "My Friend at Lehigh" program and is available for serious applicants to discuss their questions and concerns personally with him. Please email John at jresh@htcnam.com for more first-hand information on our EIT program.
Learn more about our EITs in their own words!
READ "LIFE AFTER THE EIT PROGRAM"
For more information, please email us at
recruitment@lehighcement.com
