Advanced Manufacturing Sector Seeking Qualified Employees
A-B Tech has several short-term training offerings in the advanced manufacturing sector that lead directly to good-paying, full-time jobs with benefits. Many local manufacturers are now hiring and offering incentives to qualified employees.
Completers of these classes also are guaranteed an interview with Pratt & Whitney, which plans to open a turbine airfoil production facility in Asheville in early 2022. They also will be eligible to skip pre-employment assessment training required by the company.
A-B Tech’s new Advanced Manufacturing Center, newly revamped with more than $3 million in high-tech training equipment, is offering the following classes:
- • New Machining Fundamentals, which starts this month and can be completed in 15 weeks, with both day and evening classes available.
- • CNC 101, which goes deeper into computer-integrated machining, is a 5-week class that begins in June.
- • Certified Production Technician is a flexibly scheduled self-paced class that can be completed mostly online in 8 weeks or less. This class is designed to accommodate people who need flexible scheduling, such as people who are currently working, taking care of children, or have limited transportation availability.
Interviews with local employers are guaranteed for completers of all these classes. A-B Tech also has scholarship money available, potentially making the training free.
“With employers putting forth a huge push to hire, major business expansions into our area, wages increasing, technology advancements, the popularity of A-B Tech’s short-term training programs, and the availability of tons of scholarship money for those programs, it is evident that the economy is bouncing back – booming back, and the timing is perfect for people to re-tool to achieve long range, perhaps life changing, career opportunities,” said Kevin Kimrey, Economic and Workforce Development Director.
As the primary training partner for Pratt & Whitney, A-B Tech is working with Buncombe County to build a new state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing training facility on Pratt & Whitney’s new campus in Biltmore Park West, allowing direct connections to possible employment, pre-employment training, and post-hire training.
As is the case for many local employers such as GE Aviation, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Borg Warner, New Belgium Brewing, Eaton, Linamar, Avadim Health, No Evil Foods, Wicked Weed Brewing, and many others, Pratt & Whitney will be the beneficiary of a state-funded Customized Training Program project that will be administered locally by A-B Tech. The program provides resources to conduct training and other workforce development activities in Buncombe and Madison counties.
For more information, visit abtech.edu/amc or call 828-398-7760.