JWCC ceremony celebrates eight students entering advanced manufacturing program

Published 8:11 pm Wednesday, July 22, 2026

QUINCY — Eight students signed letters of intent with regional manufacturing employers Wednesday as they begin the Great River FAME program, an earn-while-you-learn workforce initiative at John Wood Community College.

The signing ceremony, held at the JWCC Workforce Development Center, marked the students’ entry into the Great River Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education, a regional chapter of a national program that trains skilled manufacturing technicians.

The program is a partnership between John Wood Community College, FAME USA, the Great River Economic Development Foundation, and six regional employers: ADM, DOT Foods, Gardner Denver, General Mills, Knapheide, and Titan International.

Students in the program work three days a week with a sponsoring employer while attending classes at the college two days a week, working toward an associate degree in applied science in advanced manufacturing technology. The curriculum covers manufacturing principles, automation, robotics, programmable logic controllers, workplace safety, and professional skills.

Four students signed with ADM: Tegan Dawson, Logan Mast, Gaspar Ramirez, and Maddie Sommer. Carter Crow signed with DOT Foods. Davin Schindler and Lee Torres signed with Knapheide, and Dalton Emery signed with Titan International.

The ceremony included remarks from JWCC President Aron Potter and was emceed by Madison Peters, vice president of the Great River Economic Development Foundation. Representatives from each sponsoring company joined their respective students in signing the letters of intent.

Family members, faculty, employer partners, and community members attended the ceremony to celebrate the students as they begin the program.

More information about the Great River FAME program is available through John Wood Community College.