January 1, 2017
Rolls-Royce will be accepting applications to its apprenticeship program at the MTU America facility in Graniteville from current 10th grade students in Aiken County until Jan. 11.
MTU is part of Rolls-Royce Power Systems.
Every year, MTU America selects six high school students to participate in its two-year program.
As MTU apprentices, students split time between the Aiken County Career and Technology Center and the Graniteville facility, where they spend 1,000 hours on the shop floor putting real-world skills to work.
“In addition to the critical soft skills, our apprentices gain, they also practice highly sought-after skills like assembly techniques, hand tooling, CNC machine work, manual mills and quality control tools,” said Jeremy Diebel, senior machining manager and apprenticeship coordinator at MTU America.
To apply to MTU America’s 2017-2019 apprenticeship program, interested sophomores in Aiken County must submit an application, high school transcripts, two teacher recommendation forms and a photocopy of their driver’s license.
MTU America’s plant began its U.S.-based apprenticeship program in 2012 in partnership with Aiken County’s high schools, its Career and Technology Center and Apprenticeship Carolina, a division of the S.C. Technical College System.
As the first-ever registered high school apprentice program in South Carolina, MTU America’s program gives high school juniors and seniors a structured training system to obtain work skills immediately sought by employers for careers in manufacturing.
Since its inception, more than 30 students have participated in the program.
Upon passing the program’s final exam, MTU apprentices receive certification as an industrial mechanic (basic), an international credential that qualifies them to work in any manufacturing facility in South Carolina or Germany.
Graduates of the apprenticeship program learn skills needed to pursue high-l paying, full-time employment with MTU or other area manufacturers.
They can also choose to continue their education at two- and four-year institutions.