More than a dozen electrical and mechanical trade students committed to four-year manufacturing apprenticeships last week during a signing ceremony at Sapona Ridge Country Club in Lexington, N.C. The event marked the completion of 500 hours of classroom and hands-on training in a pre-apprenticeship program and the beginning of full apprenticeship with one of six local manufacturers.

Apprenticeships are coordinated through the Davidson and Davie County Apprenticeship Consortium (DDAC), an alliance of manufacturing companies in Davidson and Davie counties providing classroom education as well as on-the-job training for students.

Front l-r: Ethan White (Egger), Dayanna Neely (Egger), Brock Penninger (IR), Jaycob Grubb (Egger), Samuel Ramirez (Egger)
2nd Row l-r: Garrett Bottoms (Egger), Dylan Dixon (Egger), Clayton Mills (BMK)
Back Row l-r: Izaak Woerz (IR) Charles Olmedo (IR) Jesus Olmedo-Griffin (CPM Wolverine) Chandler Cannoy (IR)

Participating employers include EGGER, Ingersoll Rand, BMK Americas, CPM Wolverine and Kurz. Apprentices who are accepted into the program earn pay and benefits while they are training. They complete the program with an associate’s degree, journey worker cards from the State of NC and DOL, and guaranteed full-time employment after graduation.

For more information on the DDAC Apprenticeship program, please visit www.ddac.tech.