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8 S T U F F • 2 0 1 9 • StuffMadeinMA.com Gulley said he already does a variety of jobs at the company, but he wants to expand his abilities. Another AccuRounds apprentice, Helder "Larry" Canuto, is using the program to advance in his career. He's been with the company since 2015 and currently uses hand tools to finish, polish and deburr parts. He's now learning to run the machines as well. "I always like to learn more stuff and move up," he said. "It was perfect for me at this point." High standards for quality Swissturn USA in Oxford is another manufacturing company working toward the adoption of a formal apprenticeship. President Kenneth Mandile said the company already uses a mix of on-the-job and online training to bring workers up to speed. "What we want to do is formalize it and make sure every employee has a plan to make sure we've devel- oped them as far as they want to go and as far as we need them to go," Mandile said. "It's very hard to find skilled help." Mandile said the company hires many workers who studied machining at technical schools, but they need additional training in the specific demands of Swissturn's machines, as well as standardized work instructions and documentation. For some workers, he said, soft skills like punctuality and workplace housekeeping can be an issue as well. "Just because they're younger and earlier in their career, they may not understand as well," he said. Even without being a formal part of the state apprenticeship program, Swissturn has already helped its employees grow on the job. Malcolm Nierodzinski, a Swiss machinist there, found the job after switching careers and taking an eight-week MassMEP course on machining. "It was very, very challenging, which I've always appreciated," Nierodzinski said. "To be able to take When I started here and they mentioned the apprenticeship, it really opened my eyes." - Anderson Varela 11% Amount Worcester County manufacturing employees make above the U.S. average for the industry Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Continued from page 7 Anderson Varela, 19 CNC machinist AccuRounds, Avon Pay: $16 per hour Lives: New Bedford Loves to laugh: Enjoys comedy, particularly Aziz Ansari, Larry the Cable Guy, Dave Chappelle, and Eddie Griffin P H O T O / M I C H A E L PA P E T T I VIDEO LINK SEE PAGE 3