New apprentices sign with ZF Transmissions
The 2019 ZF Transmissions apprentice class at the signing day on Aug. 6.
ZF Transmissions welcomed a new class of apprentices to the fold on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at its annual “Signing Day” ceremony at the Piedmont Technical College Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM).
This year’s class of 10 students – including five from Laurens County – brings the total number of ZF apprentices to 27.
This year’s class included Cody Baker, Cris Hernandez and Justin Sneed from Clinton High School. Laurens District High School is represented in this year’s class by Caleb Cain and Kyle Kresch.
This year’s class also included two home-schooled students – Gabriel Mabry and Andrew Tokarev – along with Jonathan Bissett (Hillcrest), William Blume (Mauldin) and Seth Hawkins (Mauldin).
Clinton High graduate Gabbi Aldredge, right, is presented the inaugural Darren Rudley Award by ZF Transmissions’ Robbie Ellis, left, for the program’s top first-year apprentice.
The 10 selectees were chosen from a pool of 70 applicants. This is the fourth year of the ZF Transmissions apprenticeship program.
Students in the three-year apprenticeship program receive full scholarships to pursue mechatronics degrees at Piedmont Tech while working at ZF Transmissions as apprentices. Once graduated from school and the program, they will have the opportunity for full-time employment at ZF Transmissions with a starting salary of about $60,000 per year.
During the signing ceremony, 2018 Clinton High graduate Gabbi Aldridge received the inaugural Darren Rudley Award as the most outstanding first-year apprentice.
The award is to be given annually in honor of Rudley, a ZF trainer and one of the architects of the apprenticeship program who died this past May.
