ARUNDEL — Grinding a piece of steel into a precision drill bit isn’t a typical after-school job for a high school student. But for David Marchant, a senior at the Sanford Regional Technical Center, it’s more than a job ”“ it’s an opportunity to build toward a career, even before graduation.

Marchant is one of three high school students in the new apprenticeship program at Arundel Machine Tool, which creates precision metal pieces used in everything from cars to spacecraft. He is studying tool cutting and grinding under the mentorship of tool room manager Wayne Labreck.

“Before I retire, I’m passing my knowledge on to him,” said Labreck. “There’s no school for this. It’s a hell of an opportunity for a younger guy.”

In school, Marchant said he was interested in the lathe and milling, but since he began working with Labreck, he wants to stay on as a cutter/grinder.

“Now that I know what it is, it’s very interesting,” said Marchant. “I can see what I’m making (and) it’s directed me in a different way.”

Arundel Machine Tool’s apprenticeship program began this year after a few years of visits to the vocational high schools, in an effort to assure that the company has enough qualified employees.

“The schools are training to the best of their ability, but there is a gap we need to do a better job of filling,” said Patrick Shrader, vice president.

The shoe shops and textile factories may be long gone, but manufacturing is still going strong in Maine ”“ particularly in machining, where Shrader said his shop is concerned about having to turn away contracts due to a lack of workers.

Manufacturing’s strength is a “great example of one of the bright spots in Maine’s economy,” said Adam Fisher, Department of Labor spokesman. “Long term, we know there is going to remain a strong demand for skilled workers in manufacturing and construction, but the concern is that there are not a lot of young people going into it.”

Twenty-five workers are expected to be needed annually in manufacturing to replace retiring baby boomers like Labreck during the next 10 years ”“ leaving a total of 250 job openings, said Fisher. Unlike the manufacturing jobs of the past, however, not just anyone can be put to work “on the line.”

Today’s manufacturing is “really high tech,” said Tom Narcisso, precision manufacturing instructor at the Sanford Regional Technical Center.

“Robot work, where you come in and push a button, has been replaced by robots,” he said.

Today’s machinists need to have critical thinking, math and people skills, he said. Machinists must be able to read blueprints, program machines and troubleshoot any problems.

“I always try to place students out in the field,” said Narcisso, who encourages his students to seek apprenticeships. “Especially with machining, an apprenticeship has always been a great way to get in. Even though people think that died years ago, it hasn’t.”

The students at Arundel Machine Tool are paid as employees and will all have the chance to become full-time after graduation. The company is working with Southern Maine Community College, and the apprentices will be expected to continue their formal education after graduation, said Shrader.

SMCC Integrated Manufacturing instructor John Bolduc said his machining and welding courses have been maxed out for the past three years. SMCC is the only college in southern Maine with a machining program.

“The amount of students we turn out isn’t meeting with the demand,” said Bolduc. “The industry is saying to me, ”˜We need your help here.’”

Bolduc said he is working on developing alternative schooling options to assure that future workers have the chance to get a good background in the trade. Online coursework in theory, night and weekend classes, as well as a rolling admission date for beginners who may have been laid off from other jobs are among the options he’s considering.

“If shops are hiring, and we have kids we don’t want to leave the state, we need to come together,” said Shrader.

Arundel Machine Tool is also considering joining the Maine Apprenticeship program, said Shrader ”“ which provides standards for apprentices at work and school, as well as tuition reimbursement ”“ but is currently having success with its own, independent approach. Along with Marchant, the shop has hired Garrett Hayes, a student at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology; and Tyler Therrien, a senior at SRTC, as apprentices.

“It’s helped me out a lot,” said Therrien. “They’re showing me stuff I’ve never seen before, it’s just a whole new world.”

Mike Gilbert, a machinist who helps supervise Therrien, said mentoring makes his job a little more interesting and “mixes it up.”

“I try to pass on some tricks I’ve learned to make the job easier, some things I wish I had learned earlier,” said Gilbert, who is a graduate of SMCC. “Eighty to ninety percent of my knowledge came from the floor.”

Bolduc said that while apprenticeships are important, industry support of workers completing their education is “critical.” Without a degree, workers “don’t have the fundamentals,” even though they may know how to run a particular machine, said Bolduc.

The apprenticeship gives students experience with the most updated technology, while the coursework gives them the theory behind it, he said.

Narcisso said discussions are underway for a precision manufacturing curriculum at York County Community College. Other efforts are also being undertaken to train more workers for the manufacturing field, including the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a mobile training unit to teach Computerized Numerical Control machining, said Fisher. An adult pre-apprenticeship program is also being created as part of the Maine Apprenticeship Program, to create a pool of potential employees who have completed introductory training courses.

Visit www.mainecareercenter.com/apprenticeship or smccme.edu for more information on training opportunities.

— City Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 322 or kristenm@journaltribune.com.