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A. O. Smith employees sign apprenticeship agreement with TCAT Dickson
By: Janine Wine
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
TCAT Dickson
Clarksville, TN: A.O. Smith employees signed an apprenticeship agreement today with TCAT Dickson’s Clarksville Campus allowing them to attend the college, gaining technical skills to advance their skill sets and careers while continuing to work.
Four A.O. Smith employees are taking advantage of the agreement - three are attending the Mechatronics Multicraft Tech program and one is enrolled in the Machine Tool Technology program.
“Today is a momentous occasion where we celebrate the next generation of professionals,” Warren Thompson, Workforce Development Coordinator for TCAT Dickson said. Thompson commended A.O. Smith saying, “Your commitment to training the next generation is a cornerstone of our apprenticeship program.”
All four A.O. Smith employees are enrolled as full-time TCAT students attending classes on ground at the Clarksville campus Monday through Friday while continuing to work at their jobs 40 hours per week.
Mechatronics Multicraft Tech instructor, Sal Evangelista, enjoys having the apprentices in his class. “These guys come to class six hours a day and work eight hours a day and they all have a 4.0 and perfect attendance. They share stories of their manufacturing experiences with our other students. It’s one thing to hear your instructor say something but another to hear it from other students who are actively working in the field. This is not an easy program. I am really proud of these guys,” Evangelista said.
Robert Fraser, Allen Moreno, and Davel Salabie are enrolled in the Mechatronics Multicraft Tech program. The program is estimated to take 20 months to complete with a total of 2,160 clock hours. Landris Brewer is enrolled in the Machine Tool Technology program which can be completed in 16 months or 1,728 clock hours.
Machine Tool Technology instructor Kim McPherson explained to those gathered how she herself had been an apprentice. “I have been an instructor for 16 years and worked in the industry for 16 years before that. I started in an apprenticeship in Germany. It’s great to see America is bringing apprenticeships back. It is beautiful to see young people develop into a career they love. My hat off to these guys for doing this,” McPherson said.
“It’s great the folks who work at A.O. Smith have a chance to advance their careers or pick a new career. It has helped us to develop our core skills at A.O. Smith. I am really proud of these guys. It has taken us eight or nine months to get where we are today,” Randy Blessing, A.O. Smith Production Manager, said.
Brandon Phinx, Middle Tennessee Apprenticeship Director of Workforce Services with the State of Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, was also on hand for the official apprenticeship signing. Phinx said, “This has been a long process. I started in May, and we have been working on this since May, so it is a long time coming. I want to commend the apprentices. These are not easy programs. We like to see employers invest in their apprentices. TCAT has a great program here that we can use to drive workforce development in Tennessee.
A.O. Smith is the second industry partner to sign an apprenticeship agreement with TCAT Dickson’s Clarksville Campus. The first, Nyrstar, signed their agreement in 2019 and had their first graduate nearly two years ago. Currently, Nyrstar has four employees enrolled in the apprenticeship program at TCAT Dickson’s Clarksville Campus – two are taking the Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration program and two are taking the Industrial Electrical Maintenance / Mechatronics program. Nystar employees participating in the apprenticeship program attend college on a part-time schedule Wednesday through Friday while working the remainder of the week at their jobs.
In addition to providing apprenticeship opportunities, TCAT Dickson also has the ability to adapt and design courses for local industries interested in sending their employees to any of the colleges’ four campuses in Dickson, Clarksville, and Franklin to learn a specific skill, or to brush up on existing skills without enrolling in a full program. For more information on apprenticeships or special industry training, interested parties may contact Warren Thompson by phone at 931-999-7318.
TCAT Dickson is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution, is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, and complies with non-discrimination laws: Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and ADA. Located on Highway 46 in Dickson, the technical training college also has extension campuses in Clarksville, and Franklin. Additional information about the school is located at www.TCATDickson.edu.
A.O. Smith employees officially signed their apprenticeship paperwork with TCAT Dickson’s Clarksville Campus today. All four men are enrolled as full-time students attending class Monday through Friday for six hours per day while continuing to work their jobs at A.O. Smith 40 hours per week. Seated from left are apprentices Robert Fraser, Landris Brewer, Davel Salabie, and Allen Moreno. Standing from left are TCAT Dickson Vice President of Academics and Compliance Dr. Levi Mayer, Mechatronics Multicraft Tech instructor Sal Evangelista, Middle TN Apprenticeship Director for Workforce Services Brandon Phinx, A.O. Smith Production Manager Randy Blessing, A.O. Smith Director of Operations Pat Gill, and Machine Tool Technology Instructor Kim McPherson.
