May 19, 2025 • 30 mins
In this episode of Inside IALR, host Caleb Ayers talks with Patrick Crowley and Ronald Green, recent graduates from the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) program. Listen in as they share:
- Patrick’s transition from logistics to CNC machining for more impactful work.
- Ron’s journey from entrepreneurship in fashion to welding for career stability.
- Their intense and rewarding four-month ATDM training experience.
- How they overcame challenges and built camaraderie with classmates.
- The promising career opportunities awaiting them post-graduation.
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Episode Transcript
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Caleb Ayers (00:09):
Welcome to another episode of Inside IALR.
We're here today with two.
Well, by the time you'rehearing this, they will be
graduates of the ATDM program,that's Accelerated Training and
Defense Manufacturing.
So we have Patrick Crowley, whojust graduated from CNC, and
Ron Green, who graduated fromwelding.
So thank you guys for beinghere.
Appreciate it.
Patrick Crowley (00:29):
Thanks for having us Glad to be here.
Caleb Ayers (00:31):
So to start, you know, let's give a quick rundown
for those who don't know, atdmthat stands for, like I said,
Accelerated Training and DefenseManufacturing.
This is a Navy program wherebasically the companies that
supply parts for the Navy can'tfind enough workers.
So this program has been stoodup on the IALR campus where
people come in from all over thecountry four months in and out.
Where they come in, learn,whether there's five tracks.
(00:55):
There's welding, cnc machining,metrology, non-destructive
testing and additivemanufacturing.
So people come in with eithervery limited or even sometimes
no experience in those areas,walk out in four months
basically ready for a job withan entry level job in that
sector.
Sometimes it's people who don'thave a job lined up, sometimes
(01:16):
it's companies sending theiremployees through for training.
So all different kinds ofoptions there.
But yeah, happy to talk to youguys today about your experience
in the program.
So to start, just kind of walkus through.
How did you end up in the ATDMprogram, what led you here and
where are you guys from?
Like, geographically, where areyou guys from?
Ronald Green (01:33):
I'm from Philadelphia, pennsylvania.
Well, for me, I was previouslya business owner.
I was an entrepreneurial typeof person.
For the last 10 years, I'vebeen running my own clothing
company and you know I was doingfairly well for myself.
I was able to support myselfover the course of the last 10
(01:53):
years pretty successfully.
Sales were consistent andeverything was good.
But then, up to a couple yearsago, I started to notice a
change in my customer spendinghabits and sales, you know,
began to decline, even with myyou know, continued efforts to
market my products and thingslike that, and it forced me into
(02:14):
a space where I had to, youknow, make some tough decisions
about my future.
And, you know, I'm looking tostart a family soon.
I just recently proposed to myfiance.
I'd like to be able to providesome stability in that way.
It's just funny how the ATDMprogram I started seeing ads on
(02:39):
my social media nonstop.
It was like every time I was onFacebook, anytime I was on
Instagram, like at least twiceor three times a day, I'm seeing
an ad from, you know,webuildgiantscom or something
like that.
I'm like what is this so after,you know, just being bombarded
like literally.
I'm like, you know, let mecheck this out.
(03:01):
So I hit the link and I startedexploring the website and you
know it.
Really it piqued my interestbecause, like I said, I want to
be able to be someone that canprovide stability for a family
structure.
And this really, when I saw thewelding and all the other
programs as well.
But welding really just stoodout to me because I know that's
(03:25):
a skill set that's in highdemand.
Yeah, so that's really whatdrew me into the opportunity.
Caleb Ayers (03:32):
So what you're saying is, those social media
ads work?
Yes, they do, they do.
Yeah, really what?
Patrick Crowley (03:38):
about you, patrick.
I'm from Milwaukee, wisconsin.
For the past few years I wasworking in the supply chain and
logistics industry, kind ofdoing like corporate work as
like a freight broker.
I was kind of wondering how mycareer progression was going to
go, had some discussions with mymanager and I was beginning to
think at the start of 2024, thatI wanted to make a transition
out of the corporate world intosome sort of trade.
(04:01):
So I kind of looked around mylocal area at like plumber's
apprenticeships and electricianapprenticeships and various
others.
But then actually I kind of wastalking about it with family.
I have a grandpa who used towork for Siemens in their CNC
control like sales division.
So he kind of like planted theidea in my mind to look at CNC
(04:23):
machining as a potential tradeto get into.
Also, I had worked at a metalspinning company a few years ago
and had a little bit of time asa machine operator there.
So I was kind of going, youknow, with some limited
knowledge with that.
So, yeah, I just did a littlebit of online research through
like build submarines and thenfound the ATDM program applied
to it last August I got the wordthat I was accepted, you know
(04:46):
around like late September,october of last year and started
up this January and yeah, it'sbeen great so far.
Yeah, and I can't believe it'sall like come to a close now.
It really does go by quickly.
But I can confidently say, yeah, I made the right choice and
yeah, making this careertransition is a big move, but
I'm very confident in thenewfound skills that I have in
(05:07):
the program.
Caleb Ayers (05:08):
What have the last four months been like for you
all?
So I mean you showed up rightafter Christmas in January, or
right after the new year showedup, not really knowing what
you're getting into.
What have the last four monthsbeen like for you guys?
Ronald Green (05:19):
For me it's been somewhat of a whirlwind.
You know it's been somewhat ofa whirlwind.
You know it's like coming in.
I literally have zero priorexperience with welding
specifically and even just, youknow, like the type of blue
collar work that you know iskind of associated with it.
(05:39):
I don't come from thatbackground.
My family, I have men in myfamily who do, but I just kind
of never saw myself working inthat space and, you know, just
being here now it's even stillkind of surreal to me that I'm,
you know, getting ready to comeout and start a new career path
doing this.
So, you know, it's been reallyfulfilling, though, because I've
(06:02):
had a great experience makingnew friends, feeling, though,
because I've had a greatexperience making new friends,
um, the the instructors, um they, they were, they were very
helpful and informative everystep of the way, and even the
you know the intake process, uhthe staff here.
They've all been very helpfuland insightful, um.
So you know, I feel like I'mwell prepared going into this,
(06:22):
uh, going into this new field.
But yeah, it's definitely I'vehad some moments where I felt
overwhelmed or, you know, justlike wondering like, wow, what
am I doing?
You know, like, is this theright?
Did I make the right move?
But you know, as I continued onthrough the program, you know I
was able to, you know, justgrow my comfort level and you
(06:44):
know I'm feeling prettyconfident stepping out here and
do you guys know at this pointwhere you're headed next?
Patrick Crowley (06:50):
I'm headed to Connecticut for my job.
Ronald Green (06:52):
I actually have three different opportunities.
It's just dependent upon, youknow, what's in my best interest
at this point.
But the one that's closest tome is in Camden, new Jersey.
It's a company that specializesin building large containers
for spent nuclear fuel and youknow I went through the process,
(07:13):
interview process with them,did my weld test and everything,
and I'm just waiting on theresults from that.
So if all works out positivelywith them, that's where I'll be,
but if not, I do have anopportunity to work in
Jacksonville, florida, for ashipbuilding company down there
as well.
Caleb Ayers (07:32):
So you know, just weighing the options at this
point, what was that like,coming in with knowing that,
basically, you were going tohave open options?
I mean, you came in not knowingwhere you would be going next
and knowing that you could haveopen options in a lot of
different places.
So I mean, what?
What has that part of it beenlike?
Patrick Crowley (07:48):
Has that been stressful, or has that been fun,
or I'd say I kind of had anidea of, like the geographic
regions I wanted to focus on formy job.
You know I was either going toit's pretty much the Midwest or
Northeast for me, just becauseyou know where I have family,
where I have connections andwhere I know there's CNC
machining and manufacturing.
As I thought, going into itthere were a ton of
(08:08):
opportunities in both regions.
So it just kind of came down towhich individual company I had
the best fit with.
But it was very cool and veryempowering to know that you kind
of have your choice of.
If you really focus in on oneparticular area or company,
there's a very good chance thatyou could end up with them just
because your skills are so muchin demand.
So you got a little bit ofleverage that way.
(08:30):
But yeah, the way I found mycompany, it's an electric motor
manufacturer in Connecticut soI'll be machining electric motor
components for, like navalvessels and heavy industry and
the parent company came to ourATDM job fair in March.
So I was talking to one oftheir business development
managers there and kind of likejust gave my contact info.
(08:51):
I saw where their locationswere.
Their main headquarters is inWisconsin, where I'm from, and
they also had companies out eastas well.
So kind of like, okay, well,that's already a good sign,
let's get chatting with them andsee what they're doing.
So, yeah, then I gave my info,obviously, went through the
application process.
I even traveled up toConnecticut for an on-site
(09:12):
interview.
I was able to do that with theflexibility and permission from
my teachers here.
But, yeah, it all worked outpretty well.
So, yeah, it was cool to havethe open possibilities of
anywhere you go.
Yeah, if you put your mind toit, you can end up there.
Yeah, in just a few months.
Ronald Green (09:29):
Yeah, um, same here.
I mean, I'm really I wasencouraged by the um, the amount
of opportunities that wereprovided via the job fairs and,
um, you know, with our cohortcoming in when we did, we had
the uh, we actually were able topartake in two job fairs, so it
was really nice and that'sactually the first job fair that
(09:50):
we were here, for that's whereI met the company that I'm
looking forward to working with.
It's just really I'm glad thateverything worked out the way
that it did, because I probablywouldn't even have known about
this company.
But, you know, just having anopportunity to talk with their
recruiters and the HR managementand really just start to build
(10:13):
some rapport right on the spotwas very valuable to me.
And, you know, once I, you know,got the specific certifications
that were relevant to theposition, you know, I decided to
reach out to them and submit anapplication and, you know,
thankfully, they they still, youknow, kind of remembered me and
everything.
So, you know, that was a very,very like, like a key component
(10:35):
to, you know, just the wholeintake process and getting
through the interview andeverything like that it was,
it's a, it's been veryfulfilling up to this point.
So I'm, you know, I'm pleasedwith it.
It was, you know, becausecoming in I didn't, I was unsure
, like they tell us in theapplication process that you
have to be open to relocationand everything which is, you
(10:56):
know, like a huge undertakingfor a lot of people, you know,
but I felt like I was up for it,you know, and I'm just glad
that everything worked out theway it did.
Caleb Ayers (11:10):
Ron, you were talking about just kind of how
intense those four months areand how you know that old phrase
.
You know it's like drinking outof a fire hose, you know it's
like that seems to apply to thisprogram For both of you guys.
I mean, how did you handle thatrapid pace?
How did you make sure that youwere keeping up, that you were
keeping up, that you were notfalling behind, because
obviously if you fall behindeven a little bit it's all
compounding on each other.
(11:30):
So how did you guys handle that?
Ronald Green (11:37):
Well, I made an effort to just be very proactive
when it comes to the completionof the homework assignments,
because that's not somethingthat I was really expecting of
the homework assignments,because that's not something
that I was really expecting.
It's like, not only were wegoing to be doing, you know the
hands-on training and everything, but we also had, you know,
like classroom time and then wehad, like you know, homework
that we did outside of the youknow actually being in our
(11:57):
welding booths and things likethat.
But all those things you knowlike just making sure that
you're on top of these things.
And me, I'm on the night shift,11 pm to 7 am.
So, you know, even just makingthat adjustment to my sleep and
(12:19):
work schedule and everything was, you know, there was a little
adjustment period.
That was a little rough.
But, you know, once I figuredout my flow, you know, I just
really had to start to structuremy days a lot more so that I
could, you know, accomplish whatI needed to accomplish while
also making sure I get enoughrest for the upcoming night in
(12:39):
class.
So, you know, but I just feellike this is something that I
really want to do well in, soit's all just like a worthy
sacrifice.
You know, and it's like this iswhat I'm here for.
I understand that this is anaccelerated program, so you just
got to take everything as itcomes and just really like
(13:00):
portion out your time so thatyou can be effective and I, just
since you said you're doing thenight shift.
Caleb Ayers (13:05):
So welding for those who don't know is there.
There are options for for a lotof these tracks across three
different shifts and welding isone of those, right now that it
has for a second and third shift, machining.
What shift were you, patrick?
Patrick Crowley (13:17):
I was first shift, thankfully, so I didn't
have to make too much of anadjustment.
I'm kind of grateful for thattoo.
I had my roommates.
He was on second shift so eventhough we shared an apartment,
we were always like coming andgoing at different times.
We kind of like like worktogether, you know, as much as
we could to help get through theclasswork process.
(13:38):
But I'd say, yeah, in terms ofyou know, keeping up to pace
over the course of the fourmonths, yeah, just making sure
to stay on top of things as muchas you can and use your time
effectively for the time youhave.
When you're back home, it ispretty nice how everything's
situated here.
You're living pretty close towhere the campus is located.
I had my own car so I wasn'ttaking the shuttle to and from
(14:00):
class, so I was able to get homea little bit more quickly, but
still wasn't too bad.
But yeah, I think for CNCmachining I came in with very
limited machine operatingexperience, so it's kind of like
a whole new world for me.
I wouldn't say I was perfect,you know, with everything at
(14:21):
first, but I think the big thingfor me was just continuing to
improve upon each day of classand you'll learn from the
mistakes that I made, becausepretty much everyone in my class
, you know, made mistakes allthroughout the entire program.
Even the guys who came in withyou know over a year of
machining experience, andeveryone does.
You know it.
Just it's part of the nature ofthe trade.
(14:41):
But the big important thing wasto, yeah, continue to learn.
You know, if it's classwork orjust something that you're doing
, you know within the machine assome sort of work procedure,
just continuing to ask theinstructors for help.
You know learning whateverprocess or whatever aspect of
machining, making reallydetailed notes.
I think that helped me out a lot.
(15:02):
I'd really they give you anotebook as part of the package
when you arrive, thankfully, soI fill up that notebook like
pretty quickly here witheverything, and I'm going to
continue to do that, you know,as I enter the industry.
That was one of the big pointsthat my instructors emphasized,
you know, when they wereshadowing and just starting out
with their first machining jobs.
Just making really detailednotes on like every single step
(15:22):
of of the work process.
It's going to make things a loteasier.
Um, so, yeah, uh, it definitelydoes go by quickly, but if, if
you like, gain that confidence,you know, over the course of the
program and continue to improve, you can knock it out pretty
well and really, yeah, do apretty good job and produce good
(15:43):
products.
Caleb Ayers (15:43):
So yeah, and you said that you know that idea of
what your instructors weretelling you, of making good
notes.
What were some of those otherthings Aside?
I mean, obviously you guys arelearning the hard skills of you
know how to weld and how to, youknow how to run these CNC
machines, but what were some ofthose other things that you
learned, those tips and tricksor those ideas that you picked
up through this program thatyou're that you're going to take
with you into your next job?
Patrick Crowley (16:04):
I'd say in terms of like, yeah, what they
call label soft skills.
That was a whole like portionof the class they just said
really be humble and just alwaysbe willing to learn from like
anyone, because, as you know,you get into your first
machining role.
Everyone's going to have moreexperience than you.
So just kind of absorb as muchas you can and, you know, just
(16:25):
ask a lot of good questions,really specific questions.
Be as engaged as you can,because you're never going to
ask like a dumb question, nomatter how dumb you think it is.
That was one thing they saidthe first day.
Um, and they would much ratherhave you be very cautious around
the machinery than to go waytoo quickly and then end up with
a costly error Cause that waslike the big thing there were.
(16:47):
There were a few, you know,like probe crashes and some
pieces that turned out poorlybecause of mistakes that were
made.
But of course people learn fromthat.
But just taking your time forsure when it comes to machining,
because there's just there's somany variables at play in terms
of the program that's running,in terms of your tool setup and
your fixture setup too, so it'sreally important to stay on top
(17:10):
of all that.
Ronald Green (17:11):
A major thing for I mean, for all aspects of this.
You know, going into thisindustry is safety, and that was
something that was reallystressed to us.
You know from day one.
You know, just obviously,making sure that you always have
your protective equipment withyou and that you're wearing it
and utilizing the machineryproperly.
(17:34):
You know, because there aresome really, you know, obviously
, traumatic injuries that canoccur and that do occur, you
know, and a lot of these thingsare preventable, you know, if
you're making sure that you'resetting yourself up for success
in that way, so you know, I feellike the safety measures,
(17:54):
that's something that I'm reallygoing to be, you know, like
taking with me no matter whereI'm at, every aspect of the job.
You know, making sure that I'msetting myself up properly, that
the machines are running at therates they need to be running
at.
And you know that I've got allmy things, all my protective
equipment on, because I mean,even with that being said, you
know that I've got all my things, all my protective equipment on
, because I mean, even with thatbeing said, you still can.
(18:17):
You know, like burn yourself,things like that.
You got hot metal dropping downif you're doing overhead
welding and things like that.
So yeah, it's just like it'sjust taught me to be that much
more mindful about this, becauseI mean, I want to be able to
work, you know, for you know along period of time and I want
to be able to have longevity inthis industry.
(18:38):
So, you know, if I get hurtthen I'm out the game.
So yeah, so I was like I justreally have like learned to just
take the precautions necessaryand not just kind of just dive
into things so recklessly.
Caleb Ayers (18:52):
What was the kind of just dive into things so
recklessly?
What was the camaraderie likewith y'all's cohorts, with your
group?
I mean, did y'all feel like youwere thrown to the wolves
together so that helped you kindof figure it out?
Or what was that kind of groupdynamic like for your respective
cohorts?
Ronald Green (19:08):
Well, yeah, it's pretty much like that, like
where you sort of bond throughthese somewhat stressful
experiences that you may have,where you know we have to lean
on each other and you know, justthose are the things that
really establish the friendships.
That I have now is justlearning to rely on the person
(19:30):
that's next to you.
Thankfully, you know, I had acouple people in my class that
have some experience in welding.
So, even from, like the firstnight, you know, I had to share
a booth with a guy who you knowhe already had, like I think,
three years of weldingexperience, um on the job and um
, that was very helpful, youknow, just for me, just because
(19:54):
he was able to, you know, eventhough I obviously had the
instructor there, but being inthe booth with him, he was able
to, you know, assist me withtechnique and, like make some
corrective measures, you know,like right there on the spot.
So you know, just having that,that, that feedback, that
consistent feedback from your,from your classmates, and things
(20:14):
like that, is necessary.
And then we also just reallylike work to motivate each other
.
And you know there's even justa, you know we're challenging
each other in that way, likethere's a little competitive
spirit amongst the guys andeverything.
So that was I mean I reallyenjoyed that aspect of it and
(20:34):
you know it carried over.
You know outside of class.
So you know we just starthanging out and you know just
spending time together gettingto know each other.
You know beyond, you know theclassroom setting and you know I
feel like I've made some reallygreat friends like lifelong
connections and things in thatway.
Patrick Crowley (20:52):
Yeah, I had the same type of situation.
Yeah, pretty much from day oneI had a group not everyone from
the class, but most guys fromthe class we would dine at the
Megabytes Cafe at the main IALRbuilding pretty much every day.
So that was kind of our momentto like, you know, relax, just
get out of the main trainingcenter building, kind of like go
(21:15):
over and talk about what we'vebeen doing throughout the day
and like our various worktechniques and you know what we
think we're doing next, and kindof like preparing that way.
So it was a little bit of, youknow, talking shop, but then
also just, yeah, getting to knoweach other as well.
Yeah, classmates come from allaround the US.
There was one guy from NewMexico, one guy from near me in
Michigan, a couple guys fromLong Island in New York and then
(21:38):
another guy from North Carolina.
So really it's like a big mix.
So I got to share, you know, ourindividual experiences and a
couple other guys already had alot of prior machining
experience so I was able to drawon them.
You know, especially when itcame to some of the additional
(22:01):
projects that I was working on,we were setting up like multiple
vices right next to each otherdoing some complicated fixture
stuff and also just using someunusual tooling on the lathe
because you can do, if youprogress past, you know, the
required coursework you're ableto do on that, because the ATDM
instructors have a lot ofadditional projects to work on,
which is pretty cool, whenyou're just like given a drawing
and then you determine, like,the setup and tooling for it.
(22:24):
So, yeah, working together onthat was really informative when
the instructors were morehands-off and it was up to you
to, you know, figure everythingout.
Yeah, you definitely wanted todraw upon the resources and the
experience of others and then,yeah, it just was, uh, everyone
kind of worked at like therewere various paces, uh, between
all the classmates, but overall,you know, everyone was able to
(22:44):
collaborate when, when need beand everyone had a really good
communication with each other.
You know a lot of there's apretty big age gap as well
between people, but still, thatnever got between people and you
just had different perspectiveson that and it was shared
pretty well and our instructorsdid a lot to, you know,
encourage a lot of like teamworkand collaboration.
So, yeah, it came togetherreally well in such a short
(23:06):
amount of time.
Caleb Ayers (23:07):
I mean you're talking about those soft skills
earlier.
You're going to be working withpeople of different ages and
from different places.
Those are good, good skills.
To go ahead and get them in theprogram.
Ronald Green (23:15):
And about that age gap too, it was interesting.
I hadn't even considered it,but I'm pretty much like the
oldest guy in my class, likeeverybody else was, you know,
like either like 18, 19 year oldguys had like a couple of 22
year olds and things like that,but myself'm 41, you know.
So I'm literally learning fromthese younger guys.
(23:38):
You know how to do these thingsand I'm just grateful that
everything worked out the way itdid because, like I said, I
mean, even with me being the theeldest class member and
everything like that they stillI, I was still able to, you know
, connect with these guys in ameaningful way and create some
solid bonds, and you know theywere very, very helpful, you
(24:01):
know.
But I'm grateful for everything.
Caleb Ayers (24:03):
If you hear friends or family talking about they're
not sure what they're doingwith their life, or if they're
thinking about a career shift.
What's your elevator pitch,based on your personal
experience, for why someoneshould consider this program?
Ronald Green (24:13):
What it comes down to is, if you're looking for an
opportunity or a way to be ableto support yourself going into
the future, you need to besetting yourself up in a way
that has some solid prospectsthat you can be able to look and
(24:35):
feel confident about.
This is a.
The industry that we're goinginto is very high demand when it
comes to the skill sets thatwe're learning and there's just
as far as welding goes.
I looked it up and they saidthere's like almost there's over
(24:55):
half a million jobs that areunfilled right now for welders,
for skilled welders, and that'sjust in the US.
I said there's like out of theentire US population, there's
maybe like 0.1% of thepopulation that can actually
(25:17):
weld on a professional level.
So just seeing those statisticsright there, like the playing
field is wide open for us andthere's a lot of room for growth
, obviously, and being able tomake a solid income that you can
support yourself and a familyfrom.
You know and really have like afulfilling career.
(25:40):
You know something.
And then also it's like this isan opportunity to contribute to
something that's greater thanyourself.
You know what I mean.
It's like this is really likeyou know, you're, in a way, you
are serving your country, and Ithink that's very important.
Patrick Crowley (25:56):
Definitely agree with that.
Yeah, I kind of came to theATDM program for similar reasons
.
I think the biggest thing is,yeah, if you're interested in
gaining the hard skill that cantranslate over, you know, for
the rest of your career, andeven if you want to do it as a
(26:19):
hobby as well, you can do thatwith welding, you can do that
with machining.
It's pretty cool.
Yeah, it packs a lot into ashort amount of time, but if
you're really committed to it,if you give it your all you can
have, you can lay the groundworkfor a hard skill that's always
going to be in demand.
That's very tangible.
I always, like you know, havingthe one word job title machinist
, welder.
People just know exactly whatit is right off the bat and you
can talk Sometimes you can'ttalk about what you're working
(26:40):
on in terms of securityclearances.
I've heard a lot of storiesabout that.
It's pretty cool and everyonewas always really curious about
it and they're wondering how yougot into it and what you know
the trade entails.
And, yeah, just being able toexplain that to people and how
you're contributing towards youknow our national defense in
(27:02):
your own particular way, it justit's super cool and yeah,
really the sky's the limit.
Once you get into the groundfloor, with the skills that you
gain here, you can go as far asyou want to for as long as you
want to, and you never know whatkind of opportunities can come
up down the road.
Just you know, by being amachinist or being a welder or
working in QA or additive aswell, because that's a whole new
(27:25):
field that's just continuing togrow at a rapid pace.
But really, yeah, with theskills that you can gain here,
yeah, the sky's definitely thelimit and there's so much
opportunity, yeah, so just a lotto look forward to now that
it's all over.
So I'm just very excited aboutit.
Caleb Ayers (27:40):
I love seeing the variety of career stories, or I
guess, the variety of stories ofpeople who come here.
You know there's people whohave basically coming out of
high school no previous careerexperience to people who are
more mid-career, which I wouldsay is more like what you're
talking about, ron.
You had some career, had abusiness, ran that and decided
now it's time to do somethingelse.
(28:01):
And there's people who are evenlater in their career, who have
successfully come through thisprogram and just seeing that
variety of this ATDM can beperfect for someone who's fresh
out of high school and someonewho's in their 50s and done 30
years of work and is like I wantto try something new.
You know it can be for any andanywhere in between.
Yeah, thank you guys for beinghere today.
(28:22):
I just love, you know, hearingthe stories of the success of
this program.
You know, obviously thisprogram is, you know, funded by,
you know the funded by the Navyand Department of Defense and
obviously, you know, funded by,you know the funded by the Navy
and Department of Defense andobviously you know the impact is
about how it they're concernedwith the impact of.
You know how those companiesthat are making their parts and
their equipment can get theworkers they need.
But obviously this, you know,that impact trickles down to
(28:44):
those individuals who comethrough.
And I know, you know, we hadthe big summit last week talking
about this program and ourpresident, telly Tucker, he was
talking about.
You know, the six main points ofATDM.
You know and I forget exactlywhat they were, but on the
bottom one it said changinglives.
You know he added that one inand I think it's cool to just
see the.
You know the stories of howmany stories there are of people
(29:07):
coming into this program with.
You know I was doing this jobthat I didn't really like or
wasn't really sure what I wantedto do, and walked out with this
job that I'm really excitedabout and will be making, you
know, a salary that I cansupport my family on.
It's just, it's really reallycool to see and that's, you know
, that reminder of why thisprogram exists.
So but thank you guys for beinghere, really appreciate it.
Anything else you would want toadd before we go?
Patrick Crowley (29:29):
Yeah, thank you for having me, and yeah, I
really enjoyed kind of likerecapping everything for myself
too, you know, saying it outloud.
Yeah, it's just a greatexperience.
Ronald Green (29:37):
Yeah, I think I'll echo those same sentiments.
I really appreciated the timethat we had here, a really high
quality experience with somereally great people.
I learned a ton and I'm justready to get out here and, you
know, put it all to use.
Now I'm really excited aboutthe next phase of my life and
(30:00):
you know I'm glad that I had theopportunity to take part in
this program.
Caleb Ayers (30:05):
Absolutely Thanks for having us.
Thank you, guys.
Welcome to another episode of Inside IALR.
We're here today with two.
Well, by the time you'rehearing this, they will be
graduates of the ATDM program,that's Accelerated Training and
Defense Manufacturing.
So we have Patrick Crowley, whojust graduated from CNC, and
Ron Green, who graduated fromwelding.
So thank you guys for beinghere.
Appreciate it.
Patrick Crowley (00:29):
Thanks for having us Glad to be here.
Caleb Ayers (00:31):
So to start, you know, let's give a quick rundown
for those who don't know, atdmthat stands for, like I said,
Accelerated Training and DefenseManufacturing.
This is a Navy program wherebasically the companies that
supply parts for the Navy can'tfind enough workers.
So this program has been stoodup on the IALR campus where
people come in from all over thecountry four months in and out.
Where they come in, learn,whether there's five tracks.
(00:55):
There's welding, cnc machining,metrology, non-destructive
testing and additivemanufacturing.
So people come in with eithervery limited or even sometimes
no experience in those areas,walk out in four months
basically ready for a job withan entry level job in that
sector.
Sometimes it's people who don'thave a job lined up, sometimes
(01:16):
it's companies sending theiremployees through for training.
So all different kinds ofoptions there.
But yeah, happy to talk to youguys today about your experience
in the program.
So to start, just kind of walkus through.
How did you end up in the ATDMprogram, what led you here and
where are you guys from?
Like, geographically, where areyou guys from?
Ronald Green (01:33):
I'm from Philadelphia, pennsylvania.
Well, for me, I was previouslya business owner.
I was an entrepreneurial typeof person.
For the last 10 years, I'vebeen running my own clothing
company and you know I was doingfairly well for myself.
I was able to support myselfover the course of the last 10
(01:53):
years pretty successfully.
Sales were consistent andeverything was good.
But then, up to a couple yearsago, I started to notice a
change in my customer spendinghabits and sales, you know,
began to decline, even with myyou know, continued efforts to
market my products and thingslike that, and it forced me into
(02:14):
a space where I had to, youknow, make some tough decisions
about my future.
And, you know, I'm looking tostart a family soon.
I just recently proposed to myfiance.
I'd like to be able to providesome stability in that way.
It's just funny how the ATDMprogram I started seeing ads on
(02:39):
my social media nonstop.
It was like every time I was onFacebook, anytime I was on
Instagram, like at least twiceor three times a day, I'm seeing
an ad from, you know,webuildgiantscom or something
like that.
I'm like what is this so after,you know, just being bombarded
like literally.
I'm like, you know, let mecheck this out.
(03:01):
So I hit the link and I startedexploring the website and you
know it.
Really it piqued my interestbecause, like I said, I want to
be able to be someone that canprovide stability for a family
structure.
And this really, when I saw thewelding and all the other
programs as well.
But welding really just stoodout to me because I know that's
(03:25):
a skill set that's in highdemand.
Yeah, so that's really whatdrew me into the opportunity.
Caleb Ayers (03:32):
So what you're saying is, those social media
ads work?
Yes, they do, they do.
Yeah, really what?
Patrick Crowley (03:38):
about you, patrick.
I'm from Milwaukee, wisconsin.
For the past few years I wasworking in the supply chain and
logistics industry, kind ofdoing like corporate work as
like a freight broker.
I was kind of wondering how mycareer progression was going to
go, had some discussions with mymanager and I was beginning to
think at the start of 2024, thatI wanted to make a transition
out of the corporate world intosome sort of trade.
(04:01):
So I kind of looked around mylocal area at like plumber's
apprenticeships and electricianapprenticeships and various
others.
But then actually I kind of wastalking about it with family.
I have a grandpa who used towork for Siemens in their CNC
control like sales division.
So he kind of like planted theidea in my mind to look at CNC
(04:23):
machining as a potential tradeto get into.
Also, I had worked at a metalspinning company a few years ago
and had a little bit of time asa machine operator there.
So I was kind of going, youknow, with some limited
knowledge with that.
So, yeah, I just did a littlebit of online research through
like build submarines and thenfound the ATDM program applied
to it last August I got the wordthat I was accepted, you know
(04:46):
around like late September,october of last year and started
up this January and yeah, it'sbeen great so far.
Yeah, and I can't believe it'sall like come to a close now.
It really does go by quickly.
But I can confidently say, yeah, I made the right choice and
yeah, making this careertransition is a big move, but
I'm very confident in thenewfound skills that I have in
(05:07):
the program.
Caleb Ayers (05:08):
What have the last four months been like for you
all?
So I mean you showed up rightafter Christmas in January, or
right after the new year showedup, not really knowing what
you're getting into.
What have the last four monthsbeen like for you guys?
Ronald Green (05:19):
For me it's been somewhat of a whirlwind.
You know it's been somewhat ofa whirlwind.
You know it's like coming in.
I literally have zero priorexperience with welding
specifically and even just, youknow, like the type of blue
collar work that you know iskind of associated with it.
(05:39):
I don't come from thatbackground.
My family, I have men in myfamily who do, but I just kind
of never saw myself working inthat space and, you know, just
being here now it's even stillkind of surreal to me that I'm,
you know, getting ready to comeout and start a new career path
doing this.
So, you know, it's been reallyfulfilling, though, because I've
(06:02):
had a great experience makingnew friends, feeling, though,
because I've had a greatexperience making new friends,
um, the the instructors, um they, they were, they were very
helpful and informative everystep of the way, and even the
you know the intake process, uhthe staff here.
They've all been very helpfuland insightful, um.
So you know, I feel like I'mwell prepared going into this,
(06:22):
uh, going into this new field.
But yeah, it's definitely I'vehad some moments where I felt
overwhelmed or, you know, justlike wondering like, wow, what
am I doing?
You know, like, is this theright?
Did I make the right move?
But you know, as I continued onthrough the program, you know I
was able to, you know, justgrow my comfort level and you
(06:44):
know I'm feeling prettyconfident stepping out here and
do you guys know at this pointwhere you're headed next?
Patrick Crowley (06:50):
I'm headed to Connecticut for my job.
Ronald Green (06:52):
I actually have three different opportunities.
It's just dependent upon, youknow, what's in my best interest
at this point.
But the one that's closest tome is in Camden, new Jersey.
It's a company that specializesin building large containers
for spent nuclear fuel and youknow I went through the process,
(07:13):
interview process with them,did my weld test and everything,
and I'm just waiting on theresults from that.
So if all works out positivelywith them, that's where I'll be,
but if not, I do have anopportunity to work in
Jacksonville, florida, for ashipbuilding company down there
as well.
Caleb Ayers (07:32):
So you know, just weighing the options at this
point, what was that like,coming in with knowing that,
basically, you were going tohave open options?
I mean, you came in not knowingwhere you would be going next
and knowing that you could haveopen options in a lot of
different places.
So I mean, what?
What has that part of it beenlike?
Patrick Crowley (07:48):
Has that been stressful, or has that been fun,
or I'd say I kind of had anidea of, like the geographic
regions I wanted to focus on formy job.
You know I was either going toit's pretty much the Midwest or
Northeast for me, just becauseyou know where I have family,
where I have connections andwhere I know there's CNC
machining and manufacturing.
As I thought, going into itthere were a ton of
(08:08):
opportunities in both regions.
So it just kind of came down towhich individual company I had
the best fit with.
But it was very cool and veryempowering to know that you kind
of have your choice of.
If you really focus in on oneparticular area or company,
there's a very good chance thatyou could end up with them just
because your skills are so muchin demand.
So you got a little bit ofleverage that way.
(08:30):
But yeah, the way I found mycompany, it's an electric motor
manufacturer in Connecticut soI'll be machining electric motor
components for, like navalvessels and heavy industry and
the parent company came to ourATDM job fair in March.
So I was talking to one oftheir business development
managers there and kind of likejust gave my contact info.
(08:51):
I saw where their locationswere.
Their main headquarters is inWisconsin, where I'm from, and
they also had companies out eastas well.
So kind of like, okay, well,that's already a good sign,
let's get chatting with them andsee what they're doing.
So, yeah, then I gave my info,obviously, went through the
application process.
I even traveled up toConnecticut for an on-site
(09:12):
interview.
I was able to do that with theflexibility and permission from
my teachers here.
But, yeah, it all worked outpretty well.
So, yeah, it was cool to havethe open possibilities of
anywhere you go.
Yeah, if you put your mind toit, you can end up there.
Yeah, in just a few months.
Ronald Green (09:29):
Yeah, um, same here.
I mean, I'm really I wasencouraged by the um, the amount
of opportunities that wereprovided via the job fairs and,
um, you know, with our cohortcoming in when we did, we had
the uh, we actually were able topartake in two job fairs, so it
was really nice and that'sactually the first job fair that
(09:50):
we were here, for that's whereI met the company that I'm
looking forward to working with.
It's just really I'm glad thateverything worked out the way
that it did, because I probablywouldn't even have known about
this company.
But, you know, just having anopportunity to talk with their
recruiters and the HR managementand really just start to build
(10:13):
some rapport right on the spotwas very valuable to me.
And, you know, once I, you know,got the specific certifications
that were relevant to theposition, you know, I decided to
reach out to them and submit anapplication and, you know,
thankfully, they they still, youknow, kind of remembered me and
everything.
So, you know, that was a very,very like, like a key component
(10:35):
to, you know, just the wholeintake process and getting
through the interview andeverything like that it was,
it's a, it's been veryfulfilling up to this point.
So I'm, you know, I'm pleasedwith it.
It was, you know, becausecoming in I didn't, I was unsure
, like they tell us in theapplication process that you
have to be open to relocationand everything which is, you
(10:56):
know, like a huge undertakingfor a lot of people, you know,
but I felt like I was up for it,you know, and I'm just glad
that everything worked out theway it did.
Caleb Ayers (11:10):
Ron, you were talking about just kind of how
intense those four months areand how you know that old phrase
.
You know it's like drinking outof a fire hose, you know it's
like that seems to apply to thisprogram For both of you guys.
I mean, how did you handle thatrapid pace?
How did you make sure that youwere keeping up, that you were
keeping up, that you were notfalling behind, because
obviously if you fall behindeven a little bit it's all
compounding on each other.
(11:30):
So how did you guys handle that?
Ronald Green (11:37):
Well, I made an effort to just be very proactive
when it comes to the completionof the homework assignments,
because that's not somethingthat I was really expecting of
the homework assignments,because that's not something
that I was really expecting.
It's like, not only were wegoing to be doing, you know the
hands-on training and everything, but we also had, you know,
like classroom time and then wehad, like you know, homework
that we did outside of the youknow actually being in our
(11:57):
welding booths and things likethat.
But all those things you knowlike just making sure that
you're on top of these things.
And me, I'm on the night shift,11 pm to 7 am.
So, you know, even just makingthat adjustment to my sleep and
(12:19):
work schedule and everything was, you know, there was a little
adjustment period.
That was a little rough.
But, you know, once I figuredout my flow, you know, I just
really had to start to structuremy days a lot more so that I
could, you know, accomplish whatI needed to accomplish while
also making sure I get enoughrest for the upcoming night in
(12:39):
class.
So, you know, but I just feellike this is something that I
really want to do well in, soit's all just like a worthy
sacrifice.
You know, and it's like this iswhat I'm here for.
I understand that this is anaccelerated program, so you just
got to take everything as itcomes and just really like
(13:00):
portion out your time so thatyou can be effective and I, just
since you said you're doing thenight shift.
Caleb Ayers (13:05):
So welding for those who don't know is there.
There are options for for a lotof these tracks across three
different shifts and welding isone of those, right now that it
has for a second and third shift, machining.
What shift were you, patrick?
Patrick Crowley (13:17):
I was first shift, thankfully, so I didn't
have to make too much of anadjustment.
I'm kind of grateful for thattoo.
I had my roommates.
He was on second shift so eventhough we shared an apartment,
we were always like coming andgoing at different times.
We kind of like like worktogether, you know, as much as
we could to help get through theclasswork process.
(13:38):
But I'd say, yeah, in terms ofyou know, keeping up to pace
over the course of the fourmonths, yeah, just making sure
to stay on top of things as muchas you can and use your time
effectively for the time youhave.
When you're back home, it ispretty nice how everything's
situated here.
You're living pretty close towhere the campus is located.
I had my own car so I wasn'ttaking the shuttle to and from
(14:00):
class, so I was able to get homea little bit more quickly, but
still wasn't too bad.
But yeah, I think for CNCmachining I came in with very
limited machine operatingexperience, so it's kind of like
a whole new world for me.
I wouldn't say I was perfect,you know, with everything at
(14:21):
first, but I think the big thingfor me was just continuing to
improve upon each day of classand you'll learn from the
mistakes that I made, becausepretty much everyone in my class
, you know, made mistakes allthroughout the entire program.
Even the guys who came in withyou know over a year of
machining experience, andeveryone does.
You know it.
Just it's part of the nature ofthe trade.
(14:41):
But the big important thing wasto, yeah, continue to learn.
You know, if it's classwork orjust something that you're doing
, you know within the machine assome sort of work procedure,
just continuing to ask theinstructors for help.
You know learning whateverprocess or whatever aspect of
machining, making reallydetailed notes.
I think that helped me out a lot.
(15:02):
I'd really they give you anotebook as part of the package
when you arrive, thankfully, soI fill up that notebook like
pretty quickly here witheverything, and I'm going to
continue to do that, you know,as I enter the industry.
That was one of the big pointsthat my instructors emphasized,
you know, when they wereshadowing and just starting out
with their first machining jobs.
Just making really detailednotes on like every single step
(15:22):
of of the work process.
It's going to make things a loteasier.
Um, so, yeah, uh, it definitelydoes go by quickly, but if, if
you like, gain that confidence,you know, over the course of the
program and continue to improve, you can knock it out pretty
well and really, yeah, do apretty good job and produce good
(15:43):
products.
Caleb Ayers (15:43):
So yeah, and you said that you know that idea of
what your instructors weretelling you, of making good
notes.
What were some of those otherthings Aside?
I mean, obviously you guys arelearning the hard skills of you
know how to weld and how to, youknow how to run these CNC
machines, but what were some ofthose other things that you
learned, those tips and tricksor those ideas that you picked
up through this program thatyou're that you're going to take
with you into your next job?
Patrick Crowley (16:04):
I'd say in terms of like, yeah, what they
call label soft skills.
That was a whole like portionof the class they just said
really be humble and just alwaysbe willing to learn from like
anyone, because, as you know,you get into your first
machining role.
Everyone's going to have moreexperience than you.
So just kind of absorb as muchas you can and, you know, just
(16:25):
ask a lot of good questions,really specific questions.
Be as engaged as you can,because you're never going to
ask like a dumb question, nomatter how dumb you think it is.
That was one thing they saidthe first day.
Um, and they would much ratherhave you be very cautious around
the machinery than to go waytoo quickly and then end up with
a costly error Cause that waslike the big thing there were.
(16:47):
There were a few, you know,like probe crashes and some
pieces that turned out poorlybecause of mistakes that were
made.
But of course people learn fromthat.
But just taking your time forsure when it comes to machining,
because there's just there's somany variables at play in terms
of the program that's running,in terms of your tool setup and
your fixture setup too, so it'sreally important to stay on top
(17:10):
of all that.
Ronald Green (17:11):
A major thing for I mean, for all aspects of this.
You know, going into thisindustry is safety, and that was
something that was reallystressed to us.
You know from day one.
You know, just obviously,making sure that you always have
your protective equipment withyou and that you're wearing it
and utilizing the machineryproperly.
(17:34):
You know, because there aresome really, you know, obviously
, traumatic injuries that canoccur and that do occur, you
know, and a lot of these thingsare preventable, you know, if
you're making sure that you'resetting yourself up for success
in that way, so you know, I feellike the safety measures,
(17:54):
that's something that I'm reallygoing to be, you know, like
taking with me no matter whereI'm at, every aspect of the job.
You know, making sure that I'msetting myself up properly, that
the machines are running at therates they need to be running
at.
And you know that I've got allmy things, all my protective
equipment on, because I mean,even with that being said, you
know that I've got all my things, all my protective equipment on
, because I mean, even with thatbeing said, you still can.
(18:17):
You know, like burn yourself,things like that.
You got hot metal dropping downif you're doing overhead
welding and things like that.
So yeah, it's just like it'sjust taught me to be that much
more mindful about this, becauseI mean, I want to be able to
work, you know, for you know along period of time and I want
to be able to have longevity inthis industry.
(18:38):
So, you know, if I get hurtthen I'm out the game.
So yeah, so I was like I justreally have like learned to just
take the precautions necessaryand not just kind of just dive
into things so recklessly.
Caleb Ayers (18:52):
What was the kind of just dive into things so
recklessly?
What was the camaraderie likewith y'all's cohorts, with your
group?
I mean, did y'all feel like youwere thrown to the wolves
together so that helped you kindof figure it out?
Or what was that kind of groupdynamic like for your respective
cohorts?
Ronald Green (19:08):
Well, yeah, it's pretty much like that, like
where you sort of bond throughthese somewhat stressful
experiences that you may have,where you know we have to lean
on each other and you know, justthose are the things that
really establish the friendships.
That I have now is justlearning to rely on the person
(19:30):
that's next to you.
Thankfully, you know, I had acouple people in my class that
have some experience in welding.
So, even from, like the firstnight, you know, I had to share
a booth with a guy who you knowhe already had, like I think,
three years of weldingexperience, um on the job and um
, that was very helpful, youknow, just for me, just because
(19:54):
he was able to, you know, eventhough I obviously had the
instructor there, but being inthe booth with him, he was able
to, you know, assist me withtechnique and, like make some
corrective measures, you know,like right there on the spot.
So you know, just having that,that, that feedback, that
consistent feedback from your,from your classmates, and things
(20:14):
like that, is necessary.
And then we also just reallylike work to motivate each other
.
And you know there's even justa, you know we're challenging
each other in that way, likethere's a little competitive
spirit amongst the guys andeverything.
So that was I mean I reallyenjoyed that aspect of it and
(20:34):
you know it carried over.
You know outside of class.
So you know we just starthanging out and you know just
spending time together gettingto know each other.
You know beyond, you know theclassroom setting and you know I
feel like I've made some reallygreat friends like lifelong
connections and things in thatway.
Patrick Crowley (20:52):
Yeah, I had the same type of situation.
Yeah, pretty much from day oneI had a group not everyone from
the class, but most guys fromthe class we would dine at the
Megabytes Cafe at the main IALRbuilding pretty much every day.
So that was kind of our momentto like, you know, relax, just
get out of the main trainingcenter building, kind of like go
(21:15):
over and talk about what we'vebeen doing throughout the day
and like our various worktechniques and you know what we
think we're doing next, and kindof like preparing that way.
So it was a little bit of, youknow, talking shop, but then
also just, yeah, getting to knoweach other as well.
Yeah, classmates come from allaround the US.
There was one guy from NewMexico, one guy from near me in
Michigan, a couple guys fromLong Island in New York and then
(21:38):
another guy from North Carolina.
So really it's like a big mix.
So I got to share, you know, ourindividual experiences and a
couple other guys already had alot of prior machining
experience so I was able to drawon them.
You know, especially when itcame to some of the additional
(22:01):
projects that I was working on,we were setting up like multiple
vices right next to each otherdoing some complicated fixture
stuff and also just using someunusual tooling on the lathe
because you can do, if youprogress past, you know, the
required coursework you're ableto do on that, because the ATDM
instructors have a lot ofadditional projects to work on,
which is pretty cool, whenyou're just like given a drawing
and then you determine, like,the setup and tooling for it.
(22:24):
So, yeah, working together onthat was really informative when
the instructors were morehands-off and it was up to you
to, you know, figure everythingout.
Yeah, you definitely wanted todraw upon the resources and the
experience of others and then,yeah, it just was, uh, everyone
kind of worked at like therewere various paces, uh, between
all the classmates, but overall,you know, everyone was able to
(22:44):
collaborate when, when need beand everyone had a really good
communication with each other.
You know a lot of there's apretty big age gap as well
between people, but still, thatnever got between people and you
just had different perspectiveson that and it was shared
pretty well and our instructorsdid a lot to, you know,
encourage a lot of like teamworkand collaboration.
So, yeah, it came togetherreally well in such a short
(23:06):
amount of time.
Caleb Ayers (23:07):
I mean you're talking about those soft skills
earlier.
You're going to be working withpeople of different ages and
from different places.
Those are good, good skills.
To go ahead and get them in theprogram.
Ronald Green (23:15):
And about that age gap too, it was interesting.
I hadn't even considered it,but I'm pretty much like the
oldest guy in my class, likeeverybody else was, you know,
like either like 18, 19 year oldguys had like a couple of 22
year olds and things like that,but myself'm 41, you know.
So I'm literally learning fromthese younger guys.
(23:38):
You know how to do these thingsand I'm just grateful that
everything worked out the way itdid because, like I said, I
mean, even with me being the theeldest class member and
everything like that they stillI, I was still able to, you know
, connect with these guys in ameaningful way and create some
solid bonds, and you know theywere very, very helpful, you
(24:01):
know.
But I'm grateful for everything.
Caleb Ayers (24:03):
If you hear friends or family talking about they're
not sure what they're doingwith their life, or if they're
thinking about a career shift.
What's your elevator pitch,based on your personal
experience, for why someoneshould consider this program?
Ronald Green (24:13):
What it comes down to is, if you're looking for an
opportunity or a way to be ableto support yourself going into
the future, you need to besetting yourself up in a way
that has some solid prospectsthat you can be able to look and
(24:35):
feel confident about.
This is a.
The industry that we're goinginto is very high demand when it
comes to the skill sets thatwe're learning and there's just
as far as welding goes.
I looked it up and they saidthere's like almost there's over
(24:55):
half a million jobs that areunfilled right now for welders,
for skilled welders, and that'sjust in the US.
I said there's like out of theentire US population, there's
maybe like 0.1% of thepopulation that can actually
(25:17):
weld on a professional level.
So just seeing those statisticsright there, like the playing
field is wide open for us andthere's a lot of room for growth
, obviously, and being able tomake a solid income that you can
support yourself and a familyfrom.
You know and really have like afulfilling career.
(25:40):
You know something.
And then also it's like this isan opportunity to contribute to
something that's greater thanyourself.
You know what I mean.
It's like this is really likeyou know, you're, in a way, you
are serving your country, and Ithink that's very important.
Patrick Crowley (25:56):
Definitely agree with that.
Yeah, I kind of came to theATDM program for similar reasons
.
I think the biggest thing is,yeah, if you're interested in
gaining the hard skill that cantranslate over, you know, for
the rest of your career, andeven if you want to do it as a
(26:19):
hobby as well, you can do thatwith welding, you can do that
with machining.
It's pretty cool.
Yeah, it packs a lot into ashort amount of time, but if
you're really committed to it,if you give it your all you can
have, you can lay the groundworkfor a hard skill that's always
going to be in demand.
That's very tangible.
I always, like you know, havingthe one word job title machinist
, welder.
People just know exactly whatit is right off the bat and you
can talk Sometimes you can'ttalk about what you're working
(26:40):
on in terms of securityclearances.
I've heard a lot of storiesabout that.
It's pretty cool and everyonewas always really curious about
it and they're wondering how yougot into it and what you know
the trade entails.
And, yeah, just being able toexplain that to people and how
you're contributing towards youknow our national defense in
(27:02):
your own particular way, it justit's super cool and yeah,
really the sky's the limit.
Once you get into the groundfloor, with the skills that you
gain here, you can go as far asyou want to for as long as you
want to, and you never know whatkind of opportunities can come
up down the road.
Just you know, by being amachinist or being a welder or
working in QA or additive aswell, because that's a whole new
(27:25):
field that's just continuing togrow at a rapid pace.
But really, yeah, with theskills that you can gain here,
yeah, the sky's definitely thelimit and there's so much
opportunity, yeah, so just a lotto look forward to now that
it's all over.
So I'm just very excited aboutit.
Caleb Ayers (27:40):
I love seeing the variety of career stories, or I
guess, the variety of stories ofpeople who come here.
You know there's people whohave basically coming out of
high school no previous careerexperience to people who are
more mid-career, which I wouldsay is more like what you're
talking about, ron.
You had some career, had abusiness, ran that and decided
now it's time to do somethingelse.
(28:01):
And there's people who are evenlater in their career, who have
successfully come through thisprogram and just seeing that
variety of this ATDM can beperfect for someone who's fresh
out of high school and someonewho's in their 50s and done 30
years of work and is like I wantto try something new.
You know it can be for any andanywhere in between.
Yeah, thank you guys for beinghere today.
(28:22):
I just love, you know, hearingthe stories of the success of
this program.
You know, obviously thisprogram is, you know, funded by,
you know the funded by the Navyand Department of Defense and
obviously, you know, funded by,you know the funded by the Navy
and Department of Defense andobviously you know the impact is
about how it they're concernedwith the impact of.
You know how those companiesthat are making their parts and
their equipment can get theworkers they need.
But obviously this, you know,that impact trickles down to
(28:44):
those individuals who comethrough.
And I know, you know, we hadthe big summit last week talking
about this program and ourpresident, telly Tucker, he was
talking about.
You know, the six main points ofATDM.
You know and I forget exactlywhat they were, but on the
bottom one it said changinglives.
You know he added that one inand I think it's cool to just
see the.
You know the stories of howmany stories there are of people
(29:07):
coming into this program with.
You know I was doing this jobthat I didn't really like or
wasn't really sure what I wantedto do, and walked out with this
job that I'm really excitedabout and will be making, you
know, a salary that I cansupport my family on.
It's just, it's really reallycool to see and that's, you know
, that reminder of why thisprogram exists.
So but thank you guys for beinghere, really appreciate it.
Anything else you would want toadd before we go?
Patrick Crowley (29:29):
Yeah, thank you for having me, and yeah, I
really enjoyed kind of likerecapping everything for myself
too, you know, saying it outloud.
Yeah, it's just a greatexperience.
Ronald Green (29:37):
Yeah, I think I'll echo those same sentiments.
I really appreciated the timethat we had here, a really high
quality experience with somereally great people.
I learned a ton and I'm justready to get out here and, you
know, put it all to use.
Now I'm really excited aboutthe next phase of my life and
(30:00):
you know I'm glad that I had theopportunity to take part in
this program.
Caleb Ayers (30:05):
Absolutely Thanks for having us.
Thank you, guys.
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