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, a global contract manufacturer of precision surgical and medical components and devices, presented 11 students with certificates of completion for their CNC Machinist Apprentice Program during a ceremony at the at Western Michigan University in Grand Rapids.

The year-round program is said to require students to complete over 700 hours of classroom instruction over a period of 90 weeks. Apprentices are employed by Autocam Medical and maintain a full work schedule during the training period. In addition to CNC machinist certification, the coursework also covers the necessary schooling required by the Federal Department of Labor for students to receive a certified Journeyman card and puts them on the path to receive an associate degree.

The Grand Rapids Community College instructor, Andy Beach, an industry veteran with over 20 years of hands-on experience, emphasized the program’s benefits, saying, “students gain skills that put them on a career path with unlimited opportunity, and it helps build a ready workforce for the manufacturing industry, which is starving for CNC machinists.”

As part of their training, students are challenged to machine two intricate objects. Two graduates, Wrindy Hauser and Ethan Richey, recently won first-place prize in Mastercam’s global Master of CAM Wildest Parts Machining Competition in the teams division for a Thor’s hammer they machined.

To keep up with Autocam Medical’s growth in West Michigan, the company plans to expand its footprint with a new plant in Kentwood, an expansion that is expected to create 250 jobs.