New CNC programs a start but short of demand

TRAINING DAYS: Rachel Pecoraro of North Smithfield is enrolled in the Computer Numerically Controlled certificate program at CCRI and calls the boot camp “a good baseline” for training. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
TRAINING DAYS: Rachel Pecoraro of North Smithfield is enrolled in the Computer Numerically Controlled certificate program at CCRI and calls the boot camp “a good baseline” for training. / PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Take a poll of machine shop and manufacturing company owners in Rhode Island and they’re all likely to tell you the same thing, said David Maynard, co-owner of Dean Machine in Cranston.
“I could expand immediately by 10 percent if I could just find three, four or five more skilled employees,” said Maynard, whose company has 27 employees and four job openings.
“Two of the positions are for are senior level employees and require a minimum of 10 years experience,” he said.
“The other two positions are for CNC operators, and those positions have been open for quite a while,” said Maynard.
CNC is Computer Numerically Controlled machining, which is used to drill, cut and shape goods used in industries ranging from automotive to aerospace.
CNC skills are what manufacturers say are most needed to move the industry forward, according to Chris Matteson, manager of workforce and career development for the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association.
“We estimate there are about 300 to 400 CNC positions open in Rhode Island,” said Matteson. “We expect that to grow 5 percent every year for the next 10 years.”
The anticipated increase in the demand for skilled CNC machinists is based on attrition as those in the industry retire, as well as continuing advances in technology, he said.
A new boot camp designed specifically to address the shortage of CNC machinists wrapped up one seven-week session on July 3 and launched a second session on July 7.
The 60-hour Introduction to Manufacturing Skills Boot Camp is a collaborative project of the Governor’s Workforce Board, RIMA and Polaris Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Sixteen students are in each session, at no cost to them, with funding provided by the collaborating organizations.
The course includes shop math and blueprint reading, as well as overall preparation on manufacturing industry skills, with the emphasis on CNC machining.
The shortage of CNC skills in the workforce long has been obvious to Maynard.
“This was the birthplace of the industrial revolution, and now you’re hard-pressed to find enough machinists to staff a company like ours with about 30 people,” he said. The boot camp is a training course in itself, but is also a springboard for those who want to apply to the state’s first CNC Machinist Registered Apprenticeship Program, which was formally announced by Gov. Lincoln D. Chafee on May 15.
The apprenticeship program includes classroom education through a CNC certificate program at the Community College of Rhode Island and on-the-job training.
“I will apply for the apprenticeship,” said David Valdes, a Warwick resident who has 25 years of experience as a production manager for screen printing and signage, as well as experience in architectural surfacing.
Valdes, who completed the first session of the boot camp, had been out of work with knee problems, first on temporary disability and then on unemployment. He was already enrolled in the CNC Machining certificate program at CCRI when he heard about the boot camp and was glad to be accepted.
“This boot camp and the certificate program will help me move from one career to another,” said Valdes, 51.
The boot camp has provided valuable training for Rachel Pecoraro of North Smithfield, who is enrolled in the CNC certificate program at CCRI, but isn’t planning to apply for an apprenticeship.
“The boot camp is a good baseline,” said Pecoraro, who is 32 and has a degree in business, with a focus in management, from Rhode Island College.
“I’ve always had a mechanical inclination and wanted to run my own automotive shop,” said Pecoraro, who worked as an automotive technician at Metro Honda in Johnston for a year-and-a-half after college. She now works full-time as a mechanical assembler for an industrial hydraulics company in Massachusetts.
The apprenticeship is expected to pay about $10-$14 per hour, depending on the skills of the apprentice and the job, Matteson said. Some of the funding to establish the CNC apprenticeship program is from a $3.85 million grant to Rhode Island through the U.S. Department of Labor.
“Right now we have 35 people interested in an apprenticeship and 10-15 employers interested in becoming sponsors,” said Matteson. “So we’ll be talking with more employers who may want to increase their capacity with apprenticeships.” •

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