A few years ago, Rylee Nemode enrolled in a precision machining class at the
Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center. Today, she’s a 2024 graduate of the program and headed to Dow Chemical and
Delta College for a precision machining apprenticeship.
Nemode, who attended both
John Glenn High School and the Career Center, is excited to start her apprenticeship. Gerald W. Russell, Apprenticeship Operations Manager for Delta College, says Nemode is right to be excited. She chose a promising career path.
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Photo courtesy of Hydraulics UnlimitedDuring high school, Nemode worked for her grandfather at his Kawkawlin shop, Hydraulics Unlimited.Nemode, the daughter of Matt Nemode and Kim Pelletier, has worked at her grandfather’s hydraulic shop,
Hydraulics Unlimited in Kawkawlin, for several years now.
Between her job at the shop and precision machining classes at the Career Center, she’s discovered a love for the work.
“I’ve always liked doing hands-on stuff,” Nemode says.
As the name implies, precision machining requires exacting work.
“It’s taking a raw piece of metal material and cutting it, but more precise. If you cut your hair into 10 pieces, we’re working with one of the pieces,” she explains.
Russell says the need for people certified for this kind of work is growing. The workforce is aging and many people are retiring, meaning companies are competing for qualified workers.
That means opportunity for Nemode and others like her.
While he hasn’t met Nemode yet, Russell says his expectations for her are high. The Dow program is a good one, offering opportunities for hands-on training with highly-skilled individuals. The Dow apprenticeship program meets the
U.S. Department of Labor standards.
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Photo courtesy of the Bay Area ISDNemode discovered the opportunity while attending an apprenticeship event at her school, the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center.Apprenticeships differ from internships in several ways.
Russell explains an internship usually begins after a student has taken classes at Delta. Interns gain on-the-job experience. Some internships are paid, some are not.
“Conversely, an apprenticeship starts from Ground Zero,” Russell says. “In its truest form, an apprenticeship is taking someone who knows absolutely nothing about what they’re getting into.”
Apprentices engage in classroom (also called Related Technical Instruction or RTI) and on-the-job learning at the same time.
In addition, apprentices are always paid. Apprentices also are assigned a mentor who makes sure the on-the-job training exposes the apprentice to a variety of work.
‘I always point that out as truly the strongest component because that’s where that institutional knowledge gets transferred,” Russell says. “Rylee will probably be working with somebody who has been in the field five, 10, maybe 15 years. She has a great opportunity to learn from this person.”
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Photo courtesy of Delta CollegeDuring the apprenticeship, Nemode will hone her skills through on-the-job training as well as classes at Delta College.Finally, a completed apprenticeship leads to a nationally-recognized and industry-recognized certification. For Nemode, that means she can take what she learns at Dow and Delta and apply it anywhere in the United States.
Nemode expects to be doing manual machining at Dow. She thinks her work will primarily be one-time jobs such as repairing a part.
Nemode knew how much she enjoyed working with her hands. But she found this opportunity almost by accident. During an apprenticeship fair at the Career Center, the principal introduced Nemode to a person representing Dow.
“I talked to the guy for the rest of the night,” she says.
Apprenticeship applications were due two weeks after the fair. Nemode applied, although she said her hopes weren’t high.
“I wasn’t really expecting to get in,” Nemode says.
Her experience at the Career Center and at her grandfather’s business combined, though, to make her a good candidate.
Russell adds that he’s seeing more women going into the trades.
“The one thing I find that is really, really very encouraging about young ladies who get involved in the trades is they almost always are very passionate about it,” Russell says.
Nemode fits what Russell describes.
“My apprenticeship lasts three years and I have to stay at Dow for two years after that. But I would like to stay at Dow in the machine shop if it’s a good work community and I like the job, which I think I will,” she says. “I would like to stay with machining. I like that quite a bit.