A company whose name personifies quality and luxury is joining with Aiken Technical College (ATC) to train new employees. An information session on Thursday will go over how to enroll.
Rolls-Royce Power Solutions America is collaborating with the school to create a new, pre-apprenticeship program.
Dr. Steven Simmons, Dean of the School of Technical and Continuing Education, told ABD that it will provide individuals with the basic knowledge and skills of a particular discipline, like machine tool technology, to have those skill sets prior to going into a full apprenticeship program.
“These individuals are still going to go through technical training and doing the job at the plant, because they now have to take their skills as a machine tool technologist or technician, and they’re going to learn how to specifically work on the CNC and the milling and the lathe machines at Rolls Royce, which are very specific, and then how to produce the parts that are needed for the new line of products are producing,” he explained.
The needed skills that will be explained are:
- Precision measurement
- Material handling
- Job planning
- Drill press
- Manual milling
- Turning
- Metal cutting
- CNC programming and operations
- Grinding skills
The facility, founded as mtu Detroit Diesel, Inc., opened in the Sage Mill Industrial Park in 2010. Earlier this year, the company asked the Aiken County Planning Commission to rezone 73.41 acres on Bettis Academy Road from Rural Development (RUD) to Industrial Development (IND).
“Rolls-Royce makes large diesel engines that are that are used in ships and hospitals as backup generators,” said Simmons. “These are massive diesel engines, and the company has invested in the Aiken plant to expand and to be able to build a new line of products. They are in need to hire over the next three years, approximately 30 machine tool technicians and industrial maintenance technicians to support this new production line here in Aiken.”
While the new program is a collaboration between ATC and Rolls-Royce, Simmons said the skills that will be taught can translate to any company that needs similarly trained employees.
“They’re going to walk out with a certificate of completion from Aiken Technical College with a skill set that they can walk into any machine shop in the area, or any company that employs individuals that need machining skills, and they can have a job,” Simmons said.
Attendees at the Thursday session will have the chance to ask questions of ATC and Rolls-Royce officials and complete enrollment paperwork. The program is offered at no cost to eligible Aiken County residents. Georgia residents are also eligible, but with tuition.
The training program launches in January and runs until June. It is offered through the college’s Office of Continuing Education.
The session will begin at 5:30 p.m. It will be in room 117-A of Building F. Anyone interested can register at https://bit.ly/4mLvZRK or by contacting Patricia Whitfield at whitfiep@atc.edu or (803) 508-7362.
Registration continues through Thursday.
Simmons said the program can open the door to a career at one of Aiken County’s top employers.
“They’re one of the most significant and impactful employers in the area, not only for what they build, but the quality of opportunities they have for their employees, quality of life, quality of work, and career opportunities. If I were a young person, I obviously would look at going to work at Savannah River Site, but would also look at Rolls-Royce as a place to build a long-term career.”
