Since Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta started an eight-week aircraft structures training program last year, 31 students have completed it. Of those, about half have found work assembling aircraft at Lockheed Martin and others are in the background check phase of being hired.
“There are no guarantees that completing this program will get anyone a job, but at the end of each program our students have two days to complete a proficiency-demonstration project,” said Jim Bulman, lead instructor. “Once we’ve graded the project, members from Lockheed Martin’s training program come to view the projects and our students’ résumés. If they like what they see, they may call them in for an interview.
“In any case, our students can take their skills to other aircraft, trucking or automotive manufacturers.”
Students who demonstrate the required skill level earn the nationally recognized Manufacturing Skill Standards Council certifications in safety and quality. Starting salaries for assemblers average about $18 an hour, Bulman said.
Lockheed Martin approached Chattahoochee Tech about starting a training program that would be based on its curriculum for training aircraft assemblers, Bulman said.
“Some assemblers are older and nearing retirement age but more important, Lockheed has four manufacturing programs ramping up, including a jump in production from 12 to 36 C-130’s [a military transport aircraft] a year,” he said.
Bulman, who has a military aviation background and has helped companies train their work forces for 10 years through the Technical College System of Georgia’s Quick Start program, expanded Lockheed Martin’s program to eight weeks.
Students study aircraft basics, Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety regulations, and shop and environmental safety. They learn to work with hand tools and pneumatic tools, to read blueprints and to work with precision measuring tools before they begin to assemble parts with rivets and other aircraft fasteners.
“They’ll learn the critical importance of tool control. You can’t have a loose wrench floating around the inside of an aircraft. A mistake like that could kill people,” Bulman said.
Men and women have completed the program, although it takes some strength to do the work.
“This is a thinking job that requires hands-on skills, precision and attention to detail,” he said. “The work is varied, so you’re not doing the same thing every day.”
The program’s application process is competitive. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident alien, at least 18, have a high school diploma or GED, and are required to pass 9th-grade math level and 10-grade English level exams.
Prospective students must provide a résumé that shows at least one year of mechanical, construction or assembly work experience. They are required to pass a background check and a drug-screening test.
The total cost of the program, including textbooks and materials, is $4,500. There’s a $100 application fee. The program has been approved for Workforce Investment Act funding for students who qualify.
Chattahoochee Tech is taking applications for the next class, which is scheduled to start on Jan. 31. For information, call 770-528-4550 or go to www.chattahoocheetech.edu.
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