YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Dylan Myers has worked as an apprentice machinist at Kiraly Tool & Die for just three months, but already his employer sees promise.
“I’m just learning how to do CNC machining, all the programs,” he said. “In the past, I was a diesel mechanic, so I’m very mechanical. Apparently, they see potential in me.”
Myers’ skills and work ethic made enough of an impression to convince Kiraly to sponsor his enrollment in the Technician Fast Track program, a new curriculum that was launched Monday morning at Youngstown State University’s Excellence Training Center.
The program is a one-year registered apprenticeship administered through the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. The OMA’s local partner, the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition, is one of three industry sector partnerships across Ohio that launched the initiative this week.
Myers said he wants to make the most out of the program. “I just want to learn as much as I can,” he said. “I’d like to pave the way for future students.”
Alex Hertzer, executive director of MVMC, said the program is intended to upgrade and sharpen the skills of entry-level technicians so they can advance their careers in manufacturing.
“This is really a great kickstart into a solid career,” he said. Moreover, he added that those participating could choose to move forward and develop these skills in other disciplines.
“You may want to go into troubleshooting when it comes to things like PLCs, or you may want to go into robotics and automation,” Hertzer said. “This is really the foundation of where you can start to build these skills.”
Hertzer said programs such as these are vital to building a strong workforce pipeline that prepares workers for careers in the industrial trades. “Manufacturers are telling us they need help finding people, we need help training people and we need help keeping people.”
Jackie Ruller, executive director of workforce education and innovation at YSU, helped design the curriculum for the new program.
“Several companies were interviewed to discuss the skill sets they wanted and were looking for,” Ruller said. Working within that framework, YSU was able to develop a program that could be conducted at the Excellence Training Center. “It consists of a lot of hands-on learning in areas such as OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration], print reading, math for the trades, geometric dimensioning, tolerancing and dimensional measurement,” she said.
There are also classes that involve hands-on labs in electrical, hydraulics, mechanical, pneumatics and robotics, Rulle said.
The program essentially runs one day a week – approximately eight hours – for a year for a total of 340 hours, Ruller said. Those completing the program will receive certification in OSHA 10 and Universal Robotics Core, as well as a certificate for the entire Fast Track program.
Eight participants from five area companies are enrolled in the first cohort.
“You were selected because your company sees potential in you,” said Jessica Borza, managing director of workforce services at OMA, via a recorded video message. “Technician Fast Track was created because manufacturers told us over and over again that technician roles are some of the most important jobs to fill. These are the people who keep the plants running, solve problems, improve processes and help companies stay competitive.”
Pictured at top: From left are Mark Lamoncha of Humtown Industries and board member of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association; Alex Hertzer, executive director of the Mahoning Valley Manufacturers Coalition; Kyle Moffitt of M&M Industries; Eric Henneman of Taylor-Winfield Technologies; Brian Bento Jr. of Brilex Group; Larry Deidrick, a supervisor at Kiraly Toll & Die; and Dylan Myers, an apprentice machinist at Kiraly.