The Value of Apprenticeship Programs, with Larry Dickens, North American Stamping Group, E724

Larry Dickens, training manager at North American Stamping Group (NASG), oversees the firm’s Tool and Die Apprenticeship Program. He has worked in tool and die/metal stamping industry his entire career. He has built several stamping dies, operated some of the very first wire-EDM machines, spent years designing all types of metal stamping dies, and been in charge of quoting new work. Throughout his career Dickens served as a tooling engineer for several stamping companies and followed new projects from feasibility to end of life. 

“Through all of this,” he says, “I never lost my thirst for learning new things. And now, overseeing the apprenticeship program at NASG is the most rewarding job I have ever had. It is time for me and others like me to share with others from our years of experience. I find that young people and interested and even excited to learn our industry. Seeing a student’s eyes light up when they finally understand something that has challenged them is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done.”

Here Dickens discusses how the NASG apprenticeship program is structured so as not to detract from manufacturing performance, and the value that the program brings to the company and its team.

Technologies: Training

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