David Whalen was a junior in high school when he learned about an apprenticeship program at the Siemens factory in Charlotte, N.C., which manufactures generators and turbines. Through the program he could get paid to work while earning an associate of science in mechatronics engineering technology -- a program that combines elements of electrical and mechanical engineering -- from Central Piedmont Community College. Siemens would pay his educational expenses.
“I was planning on going to school for engineering, but I knew how expensive it was,” said Whalen, who started at Siemens as a senior in high school and is now 21 years old. He graduated from Central Piedmont in May and will finish the four-year apprenticeship this summer, after which he plans to stay on at Siemens.
Image: COURTESY OF SIEMENS
