Apprenticeships Building a 21st Century Workforce

StandardAero Component Services is an original equipment manufacturer-aligned provider of component repair and overhaul services for the commercial aviation and land/marine gas turbine industries. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, StandardAeros facility supports hundreds of customers from 6 continents by offering full tool design and fabrication capabilities, extensive machining capabilities, and a comprehensive suite of specialized processes including a variety of welding techniques, thermal spray application, shot peening, brazing, heat treating, and non-destructive testing techniques.They meet business demands by employing and training a highly-skilled workforce. They were one of eight employers in the Cincinnati area who developed and sponsored an accelerated manufacturing apprenticeship program. As the apprenticeship program began to take shape, StandardAero identified a series of candidates and ultimately enrolled incumbent worker Patrick Fohl.

Patrick was a 2009 graduate of Hamilton Badin High School and completed automotive technician training by the end of his senior year. Although I was employed in the automotive industry, Ive always had a strong desire to work in manufacturing and aerospace specifically, says Fohl. He began his career at StandardAero as a composite technician bench hand and jumped at the opportunity to become a machinist through the manufacturing apprenticeship program.

The machine operator apprenticeship program consists of 2000 hours of customized on-the-job training and 435 hours of related technical instruction delivered by Cincinnati State Technical College. Apprentices receive employer sponsored benefits, college credit, and nationally recognized industry certifications from the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS).

Patrick was placed under the mentorship of Rick Shelton and Doug Perdue, two highly-skilled machinists with over 35 years and 25 years of experience, respectively. I love the structure of this program combining on-the-job training simultaneously with the related technical instruction, states Shelton. Patrick can apply his education immediately which accelerates his learning and reduces time spent in on-the-job training.

Senior Learning and Development Specialist Dwight Dinsmore knew that StandardAero needed an effective strategy to ensure they had the highly skilled workforce necessary in todays 21st century advanced manufacturing industry. We are extremely pleased with the quality and results of this initiative and as business continues to grow, we anticipate sponsoring more apprentices in the future, stated Dinsmore.

This Story was written by Stephen Tucker, Director of Industry PartnershipPartners for a Competitive Workforcestephen.tucker@uwgc.org(513)762-3720(513)371-3855

Dwight Dinsmore, Sr. Learning & Development SpecialistStandard Aero(513)206-9472dwight.dinsmore@standardaero.com

Apprentice Patrick Fohl and Rick Shelton