College Offers Free Manufacturing Training
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA • October 10, 2014)—For a limited time, the College is offering free training to qualified students in Welding and Computer Numeric Controlled Machining at our Phoenixville Campus at the Technical College High School’s Pickering Campus, 1580 Charlestown Road in Phoenixville. Enrollment is limited.
Classes start at the end of October and are funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and Industry’s Employment and Training Administration. To apply, students should call 610-723-4095.
Welders and Computer Numeric Control (CNC) operators are in great demand by manufacturers in Delaware and Chester Counties, and careers in these fields can provide family sustaining wages and health benefits. Metal and plastic CNC machine tool programmers earn a starting salary of about $36,000 annually, which can quickly increase to $60,000 or more based on experience. Arc welding machine operators earn a starting salary of about $31,000 annually, which can quickly increase to $58,000 or more based on experience, according to Career Coach, the College’s online tool which helps people search for careers and the salaries jobs pay in the region.
Students who qualify for the College’s 225-hour welding program will gain entry-level skills in Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) and in basic fabrication welding fundamentals, as well as in single and multi-phase welding. The training leads to industry recognized certification in welding. Classes start on October 28 and are offered from 5 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Students who qualify for the College’s 250-hour CNC operator program will gain entry-level skills in CNC mill, lathe and grinder set up and operation; machining processes; statistical process control; CNC program operation; and blueprint reading. The training leads to industry recognized certification by the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, which establishes national standards for metalworking. Classes start on October 27 and are offered from 4 to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.
To participate in this program, also known as JobTrakPA, you must have either lost your job due to company downsizing because of overseas competition, been laid off from employment, or currently working in a job beneath your skill level (underemployed). You also must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the United States, and registered with the U.S. Selective Service System, if male and born after 1960.
Veterans and their spouses who meet eligibility criteria will be given priority.
Media Contact: Anthony Twyman, Assistant to the President for Communications, 610-325-2816
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