Manufacturing Apprentices
VEGA Americas is proud to partner with the National Association of Manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute to celebrate Manufacturing Month! Manufacturing is a great career option for anyone who likes hands-on work and learning new skills. Throughout Manufacturing Month, we’re going to highlight different aspects of manufacturing, including the process and the people who make it happen.
VEGA Americas provides an apprenticeship training program because we believe in manufacturing. Today, we’re showcasing our current apprentices: Steven Gott, Daniel Geiman, and Chapman Sowash!
Chapman Sowash
What made you decide to choose manufacturing as a career?
I was steered into manufacturing as a career by my love of tinkering with electronics.
What is your favorite thing about working at VEGA?
I love the way we are treated as employees. This is my first job with such a comprehensive benefits package, the advantages of Flextime, and most importantly, the general vibe of camaraderie and calm, encouraging progress. It’s a genuinely supportive and encouraging environment to work in.
What’s a typical day for a Manufacturing Apprentice?
I go to school two days a week and work the other three. I am working a couple of different positions in the manufacturing line, making VEGASWING sensors and doubling in cable assembly. It’s based on the most pressing demands for the day. My classes at school range from AC/DC circuits to tooling and machining.
What do you consider to be the most important information you’ve learned while working at VEGA?
The manufacturing process, how to work ahead, proper use of hand tools, time management, and utilizing different software to see the flow of a modern manufacturing facility. My daily work experience has been very useful in my first few months here.
What advice would you give future apprentices?
Read ahead, and work ahead. Every week is a busy week, and you can do yourself a great service by staying on top of your long-term assignments. Use your spare time well. You’d be surprised what you can get done in 25 minutes here and there.
What’s your favorite place to go to in Cincinnati?
I like going to my house for some R&R, but Over-the-Rhine is probably a more interesting answer. I lived in an apartment down there for most of my 20s, and had a great time enjoying the restaurant and night life activities with roommates and friends, playing jazz gigs at the cocktail bars, and just watching the neighborhood revitalize around me.Daniel Geiman
What made you decide to choose manufacturing as a career?
I’ve always enjoyed electronics and working with my hands as well as my mind.
What is your favorite thing about working at VEGA?
The company culture. It’s truly a great place to work.
What’s a typical day for a Manufacturing Apprentice?
Two days a week I attend classes. These are a mixture of lectures and hands-on training. The other three days are spent working different lines at VEGA, learning the different processes and quality standards.
What do you consider to be the most important information you’ve learned while working at VEGA?
Ask questions! I have learned so much from my coworkers - not only processes, but company and customer expectations as well.
Is there someone in your life who inspires you?
My mom. She raised three kids on her own while going to school. She is a fighter and has been all her life. She is an inspiration to keep fighting. Even after being diagnosed with MS, she doesn’t let it slow her down.
What advice would you give future apprentices?
Ask questions, use your resources, and work together with classmates. You are all in this together.
What’s your favorite place to go to in Cincinnati?
A.J. Jolly Park in Northern Kentucky is so beautiful.
Steven Gott
What made you decide to choose manufacturing as a career?
I’ve had a personal interest in mechanical and electronic engineering, as well as a prior experience in computers.
What kind of schooling was required to get this apprenticeship?
Just a high school diploma to get started.
What’s a typical day for a Manufacturing Apprentice?
Depending on the day, you might be here at VEGA working as an assembler, in the classroom at Sinclair learning, or doing a combination of classroom and hands-on learning.
What do you consider to be the most important information you’ve learned while working at VEGA?
It’s impossible to narrow it down to one singular thing. I’ve learned so much in the nine months that I have been here.
Is there anyone at VEGA you look up to?
My brother is also an employee at VEGA in our engineering department. If not for him, I would never have known to pursue a career here. He is incredibly intelligent and capable and is a fantastic resource for me at VEGA and in the engineering field.
What advice would you give future apprentices?
Supplement what you learn at school and work with relatable hobbies and personal interests at home.
What is your favorite junk food?
All things Totino’s.
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