24 apprentices complete specialized manufacturing training program and embark on rewarding careers
With skilled manufacturing workers in high demand, 24 apprentices will enter rewarding careers throughout Chicago and the suburbs after graduating from the Technology & Manufacturing Association’s (TMA) Related Theory Apprentice Training Program. The three-year course offers a hands-on curriculum specializing in teaching advanced skills for Tool & Die Making, CNC Programming, and Mold Making careers.
TMA held a graduation ceremony in Elk Grove Village, one of the largest manufacturing towns in the country, with family, friends and manufacturing community leaders to honor not only the next generation of precision manufacturers, but the employers that funded their training and education.
After starting their training trek during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2021, this year, 10 graduates specialized in CNC Programming, one in Mold Making, and 13 in Tool & Die Making.
“This is an event the Technology & Manufacturing Association and its members look forward to every year because it allows us to see firsthand how proud and excited these apprentices are to receive their diplomas and enter a long, lucrative, and fulfilling career in American manufacturing,” said TMA President Patrick Osborne. “Our members and manufacturers nationwide are searching for skilled workers and our association has the ability to train and send graduates into the local workforce to fill a growing demand.”
TMA members pay for the training program on behalf of those interested in forging careers in manufacturing so those graduating walk with advanced training and no debt or student loans — another reason why more and more are choosing this career path.
“There is such a huge generational gap between current journeymen and tool & die makers I’ve worked with. Most are in their 60s, while I’m one of the few in the industry who is in their 20s,” said Tool & Die apprentice graduate Brian Burke. “It’s awe-inspiring how much goes into every product used. Since being in the industry, it’s hard to enter a room without feeling a presence of how much craftsmanship goes into everything you touch and feel throughout your life.”
TMA’s Related Theory Apprentice Training Program is one of the largest, most recognized precision metalworking apprenticeship programs in the United States. It is designed so their students can work at the member company during the day and attend classes in the evenings. The program teaches the basics of machine tool technology before apprentices spend the next two years specializing in their select disciplines of either Mold Making, CNC Programming, or Tool & Die Making.
Find more on TMA’s Related Theory Apprentice Training Program at tmaillinois.org/related-theory-apprentice-training.html.
Founded in 1925, the Technology and Manufacturing Association is an independent trade organization exclusively focused on assisting small and mid-size manufacturers by providing a diverse portfolio of benefits and services, including: community, information, training, resources, and advocacy. TMA has nearly 1,000 members representing over 35,000 manufacturing employees and more than 25 million square feet of manufacturing plant.
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