When his pursuit of a mechanical engineering degree at Penn State New Kensington was derailed, Cameron Fouse turned to Plan B.

“I tried machining for the first time and learned everything I could online,” said Fouse, 29, of Ford City.

An entry-level job at Metplas Inc. in Harrison landed Fouse the chance at a four-year apprenticeship, where he can earn his certification while getting paid.

“A lot of the stuff we’re learning is proper coding format and how the machine thinks,” Fouse said. “This will help me have a better understanding of how to plan out my job.”

Through the apprenticeship offered by the National Tooling & Milling Association (NTMA), Fouse and other students spend hundreds of hours in class at Northern Westmoreland Career and Technical Center inside Valley High School in New Kensington.

One day a week is spent studying the intricacies of welding and machine trades, while the other days are spent hands-on, operating a milling machine or other precision equipment.

Jill Awes, business industry liaison for the technical center, said there are about 30 apprentice students at the New Kensington site, roughly the same as last year. In total, the NTMA Pittsburgh chapter enrolls 153 students across three facilities in the region.

“They spend 576 hours total over their four years in the classroom,” Awes said. “They get their journeyman papers from it, which makes them more valuable in the eyes of employers, and then they can go anywhere across the United States and work.”

The program is a boon to the students and the employer, said Eric Galbreath, program manager of defense projects at Metplas.

“It’s definitely beneficial,” Galbreath said. “Not everyone is cut out for four-year college. Here, they learn a trade while they’re getting paid.”

People with fundamental math and science skills can walk in off the street and get hired, Galbreath said.

But an apprenticeship can fast-track earning potential and job titles.

The average starting salary for a machinist is about $42,600, according to online job search platform glassdoor.com.

Someone with an advanced degree or several years of experience can expect to earn up to $68,000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Galbreath said the program helps inject “fresh blood” into the workforce at the small company, which employs 55 people at the Acee Drive Industrial Park off Route 908.

“We try to have one or two people in the program every year,” he said.

Fouse tested out of the first two years of his apprenticeship and is eager to complete the program next year and become a certified journeyman machinist.

“I love my job, and I wanted to learn exactly how to do it,” he said. “This program has been truly beneficial.”

Tim Sheffler, a recent Lenape Tech graduate, also is taking advantage of the NTMA program to advance his career.

The 21-year-old from Elderton works from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. as an apprentice machinist at Kiski Precision Industries in Allegheny Township. He will finish in 2024 after racking up book work and on-the-job experience behind a computer numerical control machine.

“Some people don’t see college as the way to go,” Sheffler said. “If you’re not book smart, an apprenticeship is a good opportunity. For people that are hands-on learners, this is the way to go.”

Sheffler grew up with an interest in machining and likely would have ended up in the trade. But the apprenticeship was appealing because “you get paid while you’re on the job training,” he said.

“I could’ve started out as a parts-changer and worked my way up, but with this extensive training, I’ll get a higher-level position when I finish,” Sheffler said. “This is going pretty good for me.”

Tim Harmon, who heads trainee development at Kiski Precision Industries, said the number of students learning skilled trades appears to be on the rise.

“Our students attend four years of classes through the NTMA,” Harmon said. “That’s a huge benefit companies like ours rely on.”

Program enrollment is up by about 20 students, or 13%, over last year, said Michel Conklin, program director for the NTMA chapter.

Throughout the Pittsburgh region, 49 companies have opened their doors to apprentice students. In addition to Metplas and Kiski Precision in the Alle-Kiski Valley, apprentices also work at JV Manufacturing in Harrison.

“It’s definitely growing,” Conklin said. “We have at least 10 companies who have expressed interest for the fall semester already.”

Across the state, there were about 11,500 machinists in 2021, according to the federal Department of Labor. Southwestern Pennsylvania held about 900 of those jobs, with a high concentration in metal fabrication and machine shops.

The job outlook for machinists, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is expected to remain steady for the foreseeable future.

About 44,100 openings for machinists and tool and die makers are projected each year over the next decade because of workers who leave the trade or retire.

Sheffler and Fouse showed off their newly learned skills in February during the competition for Best Metalworking Apprentice in the Pittsburgh chapter of the NTMA.

The competition, hosted at Westmoreland County Community College’s Advanced Technology Center in East Huntingdon, saw eight students go head to head creating the same two pieces on a milling machine and lathe.

Winners will be announced and recognized at a June banquet in North Huntingdon.

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