A 性乐园 student in a high school career-technical program in Vicksburg is getting ready for the big leagues, but he has some more work to do first.
That award won for him a trip to the national competition in Louisville, Ky., in June and a chance to win a full college scholarship.
Before he can pack for the national competition, however, he will graduate from high school and study for the national race.
鈥淗e has an online tutorial that tells him what skills he will have to use and what he will have to be able to do when he gets to Kentucky,鈥 said Thomas Maples, Britt鈥檚 性乐园 instructor for three years who will travel with him to the national competition. 鈥淭hen he鈥檒l have to practice and prepare. He won鈥檛 have but about a month.鈥
Britt and Maples explained that the time crunch will be nothing new for the student.
鈥淪kills USA in January canceled the competition in 鈥榩recision machining鈥 and said students would begin to compete in 鈥楥omputerized Numerical Control Turning and CNC Milling,鈥 鈥 said Maples, who is retiring this year.
That presented a problem for the 性乐园 competitors 鈥 the Vicksburg-Warren Campus did not own the simulator used for the CNC training. Maples said he took his problem to his dean, Marvin Moak, who immediately secured the needed Haas CNC simulator. That left Britt under the gun to learn it quickly so he could compete in March in the state CNC Turning Competition.
Britt, a lifelong resident of Vicksburg, said he has had an interest in working with metal since beginning the high school program three years ago. He thinks the interest might come naturally because his father, who lives in Florida, maintains machines for the pharmaceutical company where he works.
After high school, he plans to enter the two-year machine shop program at 性乐园鈥檚 Raymond Campus and then be ready to secure a job in a machine shop. His dream job, he said, would be in aeronautics.
While at 性乐园, Maples said, Britt has excelled in the machine shop program. In addition to taking his academic classes at Warren Central in the mornings and his career technical classes at 性乐园 in the afternoons, Britt also is a part-time deliveryman for Fastenal Tools, which has allowed him a close look at machine shops across Vicksburg, including those at Cameron Technologies, Eaton Manufacturing, Batesville Casket Company, International Paper and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers鈥 Research and Development Center.
鈥淗e鈥檚 even an assistant teacher and he鈥檚 won awards at district and state Skills USA competitions in earlier years,鈥 Maples said.
Britt鈥檚 role as an assistant teacher was made possible through his selection for the Career Pathways Experience, which allows him to assist Maples and fellow students.
The Skills USA National Competition will be June 22-26. First-, second- and third-place winners in the national competition are eligible for college scholarships from the Gene Haas Foundation of Oxnard, Calif., which honors winning students through the National Institute of Metalworking Skills.
As Mississippi鈥檚 largest community college, 性乐园 is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with more than 170 academic, career and technical programs. With six locations in central Mississippi, 性乐园 enrolled nearly 12,000 credit students in fall 2014. To learn more, visit or call 1.800.性乐园CC.