Matt Hilton is a second-year Advanced Manufacturing Technician Apprentice at Graepel North America coming from a long family of skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen. Matt said his family provided a direction to follow and he knew he wanted to gain experience as early as possible in as many skills that would be available to him.
“I found out about the program through a local news article. The article shared the goal of the program, the skills I would learn and the potential places I could work,” said Matt.
Matt explained that the application process was simple and being exposed to manufacturing and metal work from family members helped him. After applying and interviewing with Graepel North America, Matt became the first ICATT apprentice in Nebraska.
“The experience so far has been impeccable. Everyone at the company is willing to help me grow and learn,” said Matt. “I’ve gone from being a high school graduate with a finite amount of skills to an ever-learning sheet metal apprentice.”
While working as an apprentice, Matt is attending Metropolitan Community College where the classes allow him to familiarize himself with the processes of machining, welding, programable logistic controls and others.
Matt encourages every high school senior to consider apprenticeships. “I enjoy the work I do, the new skills I learn, and the chance to contribute to my community,” said Matt. “These aspects combined with my education being paid for are all reasons that people should consider the program.”
As a second-year apprentice Matt is eager to share his knowledge and what he’s learned in his first year with new apprentices, “I look forward to sharing my knowledge I have obtained in the first year of my apprenticeship to assist the new apprentices,” said Matt. “I also look forward to supporting them in the transition to their new careers.”
To learn more about the apprenticeship programs offered, click here.