Rene Menard, Headmaster-Thornton Academy

 

                                           Thornton Academy

 

 

 

Speaker – Our speaker today was Thornton Academy’s Headmaster Rene Menard who spoke on the NTMA-U Registered Apprenticeship program.  He started by thanking our club for their $5,000 donation toward this program.  Bill noted each year the President is allocated, with Board approval, the option to choose a community project to support and Bill chose TA’s new program because his Dad spent most of his life in the manufacturing field so it was important to him to support this effort.

 

TA is an independent school with a public mission.  They have an obligation to ensure all students are prepared for any path they would like to pursue; therefore, they have dedicated one and a half staff positions to getting kids out into the workforce for internships so they know how important it is to contribute to the local community.  The idea for this program started with a Chamber Breakfast about manufacturing being alive and well but the local businesses struggled with finding qualified, skilled workers.  They began by visiting the three local manufacturers and asked “How can we help?” and soon after TA was the first High School in the Nation to offer this program.

 

Marcel Bertrand from Arundel Machine showed them an educational program designed by the National Tooling and Machining Association.  The curriculum is designed by the industry for the industry and is also an apprenticeship program to earn college credit.  TA utilizes the online curriculum so students can work at their own pace and the curriculum can be changed instantly based on the needs of the industry at the time.  Within months of launching, they did online components and hands-on work/internships at local manufacturers giving the students real-life experience.  They have students who already have highly-skilled, highly-compensated jobs lined up and they haven’t even left school yet.  Their starting pay this past summer was $19 an hour with benefits!  

 

Al Young who oversees the program discussed the partnership with Pratt & Whitney where they can get hands-on component to gain employment.  It also helps with students with soft skills and those who are looking to continue their degree (i.e. engineering).  At Pratt & Whitney, if they work there for a year then their school is paid for!  Six of the eight seniors will earn an NTMA credential in Applied Precision Machining in June.  

 

The program offers multiple pathways for students:
1.    School to work, do not want to go on to college.
2.    Those who want a two-year degree in Precision Machining.
3.    Those who want to enhance their resume and pursue a degree in engineering.

 

Last year they had 10 students enroll.  This year they already have more than 100 students whom have shown interest or signed up for the program.

 

Tom, a dual machinist instructor at SMCC, noted this program is paramount to build work ethic and keep kids in school.  He has seen the “lights come on” in kids who begin to enjoy the academic focus when it gets a little bit more abstract.  The ultimate goal is to connect students with a real-world experience.  The trade needs people and we need to get them young and active as the fundamental skill set is vital to developing a trade.