This Apprenticeship Program Rules!
The Patuxent Partnership‘s longtime member Platform Aerospace was recently featured on a state of Maryland website after the company set a world record UAV flight time. In an interview, Platform Aerospace praised a local youth apprenticeship program.
Platform Aerospace is a sponsor of the Tech Jobs Rule program. Other sponsors of the program include The Patuxent Partnership, St. Mary’s County Public Schools, and the Maryland Department of Labor.
The veteran-owned business based in Hollywood, MD, has expanded its presence and grown its workforce in St. Mary’s County over the past few months. The company has utilized workforce training grants through Tech Jobs Rule.
“Platform Aerospace is a proud sponsor of The Patuxent Partnership and Tech Jobs Rule apprenticeship programs,” said Kurt Parsons, CEO of Platform Aerospace. “We have had the privilege of introducing the next generation of young adults to aerospace engineering, design, and fabrication. The real-world on-the-job training has been a rewarding experience for both the students and our mentors. We look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come.”
The company’s latest efforts proved to be successful, with its new aircraft making a 12,000-mile journey above Southern California, totaling just over eight days of consecutive unrefueled flight time, according to open.maryland.gov.
Tech Jobs Rule is an innovative apprentice program that allows education to “go to work.” TJR is designed to fill the current workforce shortage of skilled artisans and technicians in STEM and manufacturing fields.
TJR is a partnership between the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center, The Patuxent Partnership, and the Strategic Education Office of Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. The program matches talented high school students who are interested in STEM and manufacturing fields with paid apprenticeship opportunities in industry and government.
Launched as a pilot program in May 2019, Tech Jobs Rule has 20 students participating at 14 companies during the 2021-2022 school year.
To learn more, email MaryKay Myers at [email protected].
About The Patuxent Partnership
The Patuxent Partnership is a nonprofit member organization that fosters collaboration between government, industry, and academia to advance education through STEM-based initiatives; to advance technology through speaker programs, forums, and networking; to advance science and technology transfer through the exchange of ideas, information, and data related to technologies; and to increase workforce development through an array of initiatives.
To learn more about The Patuxent Partnership and its programs, visit its Leader member page.
