Published: April 28, 2008 02:08 pm         

High-tech job training available free

Crystal McCoy

cmccoy@weatherforddemocrat.com

Local jobs in the aerospace field are going to be in high demand within the next decade according to Aerospace Cluster Marketing Coordinator Renee Parker.

Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter and Vought Aircraft make up the aerospace cluster in north Texas and with the average age of employees at 55, the companies are expected to need an influx of new blood over the next few years.

“We have to engage the young people, students and get them interested so they can fill these jobs,” Parker said.

Parker works at Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and assists large aerospace companies locate new employees. She promotes the free training programs offered by her office and visits with high schools across north Texas talking about manufacturing.

“Manufacturing is not a dirty job any more,” she said. “It does pay well, there are great benefits, especially in an aerospace company.”

The training program offered for basic entry level manufacturing is housed out of the Fort Worth Opportunity Center as part of Tarrant County College. The course is five to six weeks long, five days a week, eight hours a day.

“Once they graduate the training program they are guaranteed a preferential interview with one of the three companies,” Parker said. “So it’s a lot easier than the average Joe to get a job if you go through the training program.”

The training program is funded through the Texas Workforce Commission.

According to informational material from Parker, the potential starting pay for a high school diploma or GED is $22,000 a year, and with bachelor’s degree, the potential starts at more than $48,000 annually for positions in the aerospace field.

For more information visit www.workforcesolutions.net or call (817) 336-2491.

     

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