Some students get paid to go to class.

Many students working toward an associate’s degree in computer assisted manufacturing get paid by their employers to get training from Missouri Southern. For about three years, Southern has had an agreement with Leggett & Platt to offer customized training to its employees.

Sometimes Leggett & Platt will use its own funds to pay for its employees to receive training from Southern, but Leggett also receives funding from the state for this purpose.

Through this program, the employees spend much of their time at the company’s ZED Training Center in Carthage working on machines for their technical training.

Jeff Littrell, sophomore CAM major, said he hopes to work in a management position at Leggett after he earns his degree.

“I’ve learned a lot of things I didn’t know before I started,” Littrell said.

Littrell, along with other Leggett trainees, took a technical economics class offered by Southern about company cost-reduction.

Dr. Jack Spurlin, vice president for lifelong learning, said the class “tremendously” helps the trainees learn how to save the company money.

“It really is a good program for area businesses,” Spurlin said.

Littrell worked on a project for the company that will help the company save money.

He said the project showed how to extend the life of some of Leggett’s machines. Littrell estimates that by implementing this plan, the company has saved itself about $400,000.

Danny Wilson, sophomore CAM major, helped Littrell with the project. He’s been with the company for 16 years and said he’s learning how to be a better machine specialist. Wilson is one of the students who has his training fees paid for and is also paid to take the class.

“It has been a good opportunity to learn new things,” Wilson said.

Don Schultz, instructor at the computer assisted manufacturing department, has been teaching the technical training in Carthage and on campus.

“I love it,” Schultz said. “It’s good for me, too, to stay out in the industry.”

Spurlin said Southern recently went into a partnership with Crowder College to offer the same type of customized training.

“Crowder and Missouri Southern now provide this training as a team,” Spurlin said.