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Damian Bradshaw successfully completed a high school apprenticeship while attending NWGCCA and now he is employed full-time at Shaw Industries.
During high school, Damian completed a career pathway in the area of Mechatronics. Growing up he always tinkered with cars and liked to work with his hands. Damian attended a career fair at the NWGA College & Career Academy and learned about the apprenticeship program at Shaw. After successfully interviewing, he began working in Shaw's Fleet Maintenance group where he was able to apply what he learned to help the team that rebuilds trailers within Shaw's tractor trailer fleet. In addition to gaining real-world experience and an opportunity to validate that he was pursuing the right career field, Damian also got paid to expand his knowledge and experience. It's all part of the Career Academy's Advanced Manufacturing & Business Academy.
Find out more about Damian's experience and thoughts in the Q&A below.
What made you decide to attend NWGCCA and explore a career in advanced manufacturing? I have always enjoyed tinkering with cars. I like to turn wrenches and I like working with my hands. I felt that this hands-on programs at Career Academy would provide me an opportunity to learn and I would also enjoy the programs I was completing.
What are/were your perceptions of manufacturing before beginning this apprenticeship? I had some knowledge of manufacturing and Shaw prior to becoming an apprentice. Several friends and family members are proud to work in the industry and have spoken highly of career opportunities that exist.
What's the benefit to you being involved with this apprenticeship? I was able to get my foot in the door of a company like Shaw and get to know people who work in my field of interest every day. They shared their knowledge with me and helped me learn and grow.
After graduating from high school, I continued working in the Fleet Maintenance department as an Intern while attending Georgia Northwestern Technical College. My goal was to complete at least two welding certificates in order to further improve my skills as a welder. The internship allowed me flexible hours to complete my schooling. I ultimately earned 3 welding credits and now I get to apply my welding skills to my job everyday.
After completing my welding certificates, Shaw offered me a full-time job in the Fleet Maintenance department. I'm now working to rebuild trailers-floors, roofs, brakes, drums and other parts. Each day, I get faster and better at my job with more repetition. While I definitely want to improve my speed, I also want to focus on getting the job done the right way. I want to continue to learn each task and move on to master the next task.
For the complete Q&A with Damian, download the PDF below.
Jaden Cooper is designing her future - thanks to programs available to students at Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy.
During her high school career, Jaden completed a career pathway of study in the area of Information Technology & Programming. She was also hired as an apprentice with Shaw Industries to apply what she learned to real challenges in the I.T. field. In addition to gaining real-world experience and an opportunity to validate that she was pursuing the right career field, Jaden also got paid to expand her knowledge and experience. It's all part of the Career Academy's Advanced Manufacturing & Business Academy.
Learn more about Jaden's experience in the program and her advice for other students in the Q&A below.
What’s the benefit to you being involved with this apprenticeship?
The benefit is that you gain experience that you could put on your resume for employers to see so it can open more opportunities for you. It is also important to be exposed to the workplace setting before entering the field because it is always best to know what you are getting yourself into.
Through this experience, I was able to earn high school credits for graduation, gain valuable work experience and knowledge, and also get paid for the work I was doing. It was a great opportunity!
I was able to get to know people who work in my field of interest every day. They shared their knowledge with me and helped me gain insights in to the variety of fields within information technology. There isn’t one thing that I would change about my experience. Working as an apprentice validated for me that I was pursuing the correct career field.
During your apprenticeship, what other areas of I.S. were you able to experience?
In addition to the Service Desk, I was promoted during the apprenticeship to work in the Information Services Process group. While with the Process group, I was able to work with HTML code and got to work with developing new apps for Shaw. It was fund to learn about another area of I.T./I.S. and also meet other members of the team.
What would you tell someone who may not know about the College & Career Academy?
The College and Career Academy can change your life forever. It can open doors that most people only dream of. The apprenticeship program enables you to gain real life experience in the workplace while in high school -- that is unheard of for most students.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I appreciate the opportunity that I was given to be part of the Career Academy and the apprenticeship program. I appreciate the teachers and administrators who encouraged me to apply for the apprenticeship. I’d also like to thank the people I worked with at Shaw for providing me with this opportunity and for their mentoring and help during my time there. My parents and grandparents have all worked for Shaw. In fact, my parents met at Shaw. It was great to get to work for that same company.
For the complete Q&A with Jaden, download the PDF below.
Jonathan realized the value in the program and the advantage it would give him over others that he might compete with for future jobs. Jonathan is now preparing for graduation and will finish his high school career with more than two years’ experience in a manufacturing setting and many different skill sets to bring to his future employer. He’ll also enter the “real world” with strong industry relationships and mentors.
Hear from Jonathan about his experience and how he feels it’s preparing him for the future.
What sparked your interest in a career in advanced manufacturing?
I grew up around it. The carpet manufacturing industry is right here in our back yard, and many of my family members have made it their way of life. My grandparents worked in a yarn plant for many years, my uncle is in the carpet industry and my dad works in maintenance. I also love to work with my hands and find out how things work. It’s a challenge to take things apart and put them back together. I find that by doing this, I might find a way to make it work better.
What are your favorite subjects in school, and how do you think the apprenticeship has helped your understanding of these subjects?
My favorite subjects are science and history. Science because I like to discover the inter-workings of things and history because I like to see how people handled situations in the past and made things better. Both of these subjects have come easier to me since the apprenticeship.
What are your plans after graduation?
I’m not quite sure what I plan to do as a life-long career path, but I know I like the maintenance world, and I realize it could open some really wide doors for a prosperous future.
For the complete Q&A with Jonathan, download the PDF below.
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