Employers ranging from small suppliers to major manufacturers continue to return to ATDM career fairs because of the quality of both the technical training and the professional preparation students receive.
“We found at least 10 good candidates for our workforce to explore for employment,” Gardner said of the most recent career fair. “We have been growing, and ATDM has been a lifeline for our success. We have hired 10 ATDM graduates to date, and we are looking to add more.”
Pernell Lewis, a hiring manager with BWX Technologies (BWXT) who has hired extensively from ATDM, says he was initially skeptical that the program’s graduates could hit the ground running after four months, especially when compared to a more traditional two-year program.
“ATDM is giving us good employees,” he said. “We’re batting a really high average.”
BWXT has hired out of the CNC machining, metrology and non-destructive testing pathways. Lewis, who said he visits the program once a month to connect with students in the metrology training path, noted that students arrive with both technical skills and workplace habits that can be difficult for employers to develop from scratch.
“ATDM has structure,” Lewis said. “These graduates know how to work. The knowledge that they do have is unbelievable. Students come in, come to work on time and know what it’s like to be at work.”
For John Martin of Curtiss-Wright, the consistent quality of candidates keeps his company returning to ATDM. He says the program’s structure, which includes shift work and rigorous academic standards, is a major value for Curtiss-Wright and other SIB companies.
“You have confidence that when they leave here, they’re used to coming in every day at a regular time,” he added. “It’s comforting knowing that’s already been reviewed here, and you know they’ll be good employees.”
Kevin Grass of Northeast Tool attended his first ATDM Career Fair after learning about the program earlier this year and quickly recognized its value.
“The ability to engage with work-ready talent is a major value-add and differentiator ATDM provides over many other training programs,” Grass said. “There is no other type of environment like the ATDM Career Fair.”
This content is sourced from
Institute for Advanced Learning and Research
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
