HydraForce Hosts STEM Career Trek for Fremd and Palatine High Schools

On Tuesday, February, 28, HydraForce will host a group of 20 students from Fremd and Palatine High Schools who are interested in becoming engineers. The visit will include tours of the HydraForce manufacturing plant and Innovation and Technology Center, presentations from employees in various engineering disciplines - product design, electronics, sales, application engineering, and manufacturing engineering, and a hands-on activity that will introduce the students to 3D modeling engineering software.

"As an employer who needs good engineers, HydraForce has a commitment to encouraging students to pursue study in the STEM fields - Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics," said Robyn Safron, Human Resources Manager at HydraForce. "Last year, we hosted a group from Palatine High School. This year, Fremd High School asked to join us for the Career Trek Day."

"HydraForce is a company that depends on the quality of its manufacturing and engineering as a competitive advantage, so when we heard that another high school group wanted to come in and learn about engineering from us, we were happy to have our people show what they can do," said Jim Brizzolara, HydraForce president and founder. "The study of engineering and other STEM fields is definitely a path to opportunity. Our management team reflects that, as many of them started with us as engineers or in manufacturing."

The STEM Career Trek at HydraForce will include a half-hour computer-aided design session during which the eleven students will pair up with HydraForce design engineers. With the engineers' guidance, the students will create an actual engineering outline drawing of a hydraulic manifold.

HydraForce, based in Lincolnshire, IL, designs and manufactures high performance hydraulic fluid power cartridge valves, custom manifolds and electro-hydraulic controls. The company employs about 775 people at its headquarters and machining center in Lincolnshire and Innovation Center in Vernon Hills, IL.

This summer, HydraForce is offering paid internships for college engineering students. To apply, a student must have completed their freshman year in college with a 3.25 GPA in engineering or 3.0 in general studies.

HydraForce is also seeking skilled production workers and is hosting a Job Fair at its manufacturing plant at 500 Barclay Boulevard in Lincolnshire on Wednesday, March 1st. Hours are 1 pm to 7 pm and will include plant tours and immediate job interviews. Positions are open in manifold assembly, preparation, light assembly, testing, deburring and grinding operations on first and second shifts.