Mechanical maintenance intern James Baker has spent his summer at Prairie State gaining hands-on experience at a fast pace.
Baker has been working with the maintenance department on daily work orders. He says these maintenance projects are usually completed in a single day.
This internship has been closely aligned with Baker’s coursework at Southwestern Illinois College. “It is interesting to see things that I have learned in school being put into action.”
Baker’s favorite part of this internship has been the hands-on work, which he prefers to paperwork. “This internship has given me a wider scope of understanding in the field of mechanics.”
Baker has been responsible for performing Lockout/Tagout procedures to ensure that equipment is not operated during maintenance. Prairie State must follow environmental controls to remain in constant compliance, and he has learned about the technical implications of these controls.
In the future, Baker hopes to work for local manufacturing plants.