Pima County One-Stop Career Center and Southern Arizona Manufacturing Partners will celebrate the completion of a 20-month training program Dec. 16 that taught 10 young adults how to be machinists. The certificate ceremony takes place Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Amethyst Room of Pima Community College’s downtown campus, 1255 N. Stone Ave. Three more students will complete the program this spring.
The students received their initial training through the Career Technical Education machining programs at Desert View High School, Tucson High Magnet School and Palo Verde High School. From there, students worked with local manufacturers at paid internships that were initially funded by Pima County One-Stop. After two months of hands-on experience, local companies hired the students, who also were enrolled in corresponding courses in machine tool technology at Pima Community College.
Area manufacturers decided three years ago they could compete with one another for the small pool of talented machinists in Southern Arizona or work together to train high school students or new high school graduates how to be machinists. Students finish the program with a Machine Tool Technology Certificate from Pima Community College.
SAMP is a consortium that comprises 38 Southern Arizona manufacturing companies and 16 partners including schools, associations and agencies like the One-Stop. The group came together in 2012 with a goal to revamp machining training at Pima Community College and establish a pipeline of students ready to enter the field.
Last year, SAMP members told Pima County One-Stop’s Business Services team they would need as many as 46 machining jobs filled in two years. Machinists in Southern Arizona can earn starting salaries of more than $24,000 and make as much as $60,000 annually, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
The students being recognized Dec. 16 include:
- Michael Barnes
- Jesus Olivarez
- Patrick Meegan
- Emmanuel Calderon
- Michael Long
- Christian Trevino
- Steven Hammond
Pima County One-Stop provided funding and training
- Alejandro Alvarez
- Desarae Stephens
- Erick Lizarraga
Employers that hosted interns were:
- Abrams Airborne Manufacturing, Inc.
- AGM Container Controls, Inc.
- American Turbo Systems
- Argus Machine
- B/E Aerospace
- Hi-Tech Machining & Engineering
- Industrial Tool, Die & Engineering, Inc.
- Johns Manville
- Sargent Aerospace & Defense
- Zygo
