Roemetta Gellhaus likes to make sure things are done right. She is ready to work and confident in her abilities, and has no qualms about pre-conceived notions of being female in a male-dominated industry. She feels that she can do anything, in any industry, whether traditionally male or female.
Two examples of her confidence and quest for knowledge are her past study of electrical engineering at The University of Kansas and her move to Oklahoma City to learn instrumentation and control. Gellhaus’ father trained as an instrumentation and control technician in the U.S. Marines, and after careful review, encouraged her to enroll in Francis Tuttle’s advanced manufacturing program.
Gellhaus plans to complete the program and earn an associate degree from Oklahoma City Community College. From there, she would like to re-enter the nuclear energy industry and work as a technician, calibrating components and reprogramming PLCs (programmable logic controllers), sophisticated, yet common parts used for automation of electromechanical processes. PLCs are completely adaptable to varying conditions and require monitoring by technicians to make necessary adjustments.
Other family members have caught her enthusiasm for instrumentation and control. Her younger brother is also in the program, and her sister is scheduled to begin next semester. She found Francis Tuttle’s program to be exactly what she was looking for in training, degree completion and helping her find a career that meets her goals.
The demand for skilled workers in manufacturing is strong in Oklahoma, and growing across the country. Students preparing to enter the workforce have the potential to earn high wages, as technicians are being sought in careers varying from assembly plants, calibration companies, chemical plants, energy production facilities, to food processing plants, petroleum plants and utility companies.