Applications are now being accepted for the Laboratory's Machinist Apprenticeship Program. The deadline to apply for the program is Friday (March 7). Selected individuals will begin their apprenticeships on Aug. 11.
The Lab, in collaboration with Northern New Mexico Community College in Española, offers the program, which provides machinist apprentices with a combination of classroom instruction and on-the-job training in machine tool operations, said Patrick Martinez of Weapon Materials and Manufacturing (ESA-WMM), coordinator of the program.
Two people have graduated from the program are now working as machinists at the Lab. Six are scheduled to graduate this summer, said Martinez.
The Machinist Apprenticeship Program is open to all Laboratory workers and nonLab individuals and the class is limited to eight. While in the program, machinist apprentices earn a salary in accordance with the MAP salary schedule.
The Lab resurrected a machinist apprentice program three years ago to meet an increased need for qualified machinists at the Lab, Martinez explained. The class that begins this fall will be the fourth under the program.
Individuals who complete the program will receive nationally recognized journeymen certificates from the New Mexico State Apprenticeship Council. Some may even be hired as full-time regular machinists at the Lab, he said.
Lab workers interested in applying for the program must be at least 18 years old, a United States citizen and able to obtain a Q clearance. There are other application requirements as well.
For more information, contact Doris Megariz of the Human Resources (HR) Division at 7-4648 or write to megariz@lanl.gov by electronic mail. Also, read about the Machinist Apprenticeship Program in the September 2000 issue of Reflections magazine. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)
