Meet Rob – Apprentice at Zierick Manufacturing
Rob has been working at Zierick Manufacturing Corporation in Mount Kisco, NY for the past 4 years as a Tool Room Apprentice. Rob was born and raised in Yonkers where he attended Saunders Trades and Technical High School. He applied to the high school in order to get a well-rounded education that wove vocational and academic instruction into each student’s curriculum. Saunders Trades and Technical High School teaches students a variety of vocational skills including heating, electric wiring and carpentry to list a few.
Rob knew from a young age that he wanted to work with his hands. Upon graduation he was faced with the choice to enter the workforce with the skills he learned in high school, or go to college and pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He decided to do both. He began working at Coventry Manufacturing while simultaneously attending classes at Westchester Community College (WCC). After two years at WCC Rob attended Manhattan College where he graduated two years later with his degree in Mechanical Engineering.
It was at WCC that Rob found out about Zierick Manufacturing from a friend. He took the position as a Tool Room Apprentice and began his journey as an apprentice in Zierick’s in-house apprenticeship program. Zierick became a part of the Council of Industry’s Registered Apprentice Program in 2018 and extended the opportunity to their current apprentices and employees. Rob happily accepted the opportunity to become a part of a New York State recognized program and registered as a Toolmaker Apprentice.
Rob has begun taking his related instruction courses online and hopes to learn a lot throughout this process. In the long-term Rob wants to help bridge the gap between manufacturing and engineering and he believes this apprenticeship program will help make that possible. The related instruction courses provide apprentices with a chance to dive deeper into more theoretical aspects of the craft that most employees wouldn’t otherwise get.
The Council of Industry’s Registered Apprentice Program consists of both related instruction courses and on-the-job training. Related Instruction courses are taken by the apprentice outside of work and teach more knowledge-based facets of the trade. On-the-job training requires journey-level crafts people, capable and willing to share their experience, to work with the apprentice in hands-on instruction. Combined these two elements provide the apprentice with a more well-rounded understanding of the trade.
The apprenticeship program typically takes four years to complete, and there are currently eight different registered trades: Machinist (CNC), Electro-Mechanical Technician, Electronics Technician, Maintenance Mechanic, Quality Assurance Auditor, Toolmaker, Welder, and Industrial Manufacturing Technician. If you are a manufacturing employer or a potential apprentice click here for more information, or contact Johnnieanne Hansen at (845) 565 – 1355 or jhansen@councilofindustry.org to discuss details, requirements, and potential opportunities.
Zierick Manufacturing, located in Mt. Kisco, is a leading source for complex interconnection requirements and problems. If you’re interested in a job at Zierick Manufacturing click here to view all available position or email your resume to jobs@councilofindustry.org.