Davon Hazelwood, fourth from the left in back row. Alexandria Parlor, second from the left in front row. YMA trainees visit to Dakkota Integrated Systems for Manufacturing Day event October 2022.
The latest session of the Young Manufacturers Association (YMA), Manufacturing Renaissance’s nationally recognized career pathways program for adults, aged 18-24, started in September. YMA, which was established in 2016, is both a network and a program for young adults who are pursuing careers in manufacturing, are in between jobs, or are in training or interested in starting a career in manufacturing. YMA participants support each other as peers through training, transition into permanent employment, professional and life skills development, and balancing personal and work life dynamics.
We talked to two participants to get their initial perspective about the first month of the program. This is the first article in a three-part series.
Davon Hazelwood
He says that while he was growing up in the community of Englewood, Davon Hazelwood says there were “little or no full-time job opportunities” that he would hear about. “My mom was always trying to help me look for different opportunities and programs to help me out.” Hazelwood heard about the YMA program from his mother.
He says that while growing up in the community “there was a lot of violence. I was one of the ones lucky enough for it not happen around. I always knew indirectly about it. Yeah, I knew people who were shot at.”
As a student at Western Illinois University, he intended to pursue a degree in computer engineering, but says he couldn’t see himself going that route. He transferred to a community college, where he completed various general education courses.
“In college, I didn’t feel like I had direction or many skills,” he says. “I figured that if there are places I can pick up skills, that would be a good thing. That’s what led me to the YMA program.”
In the first month of the program, he says, Hazelwood learned about measuring instruments, the difference between metals, blueprint reading, and other subjects. He adds that he is a “gamer,” and is always interested in looking at the technical aspects of manufacturing. He also learned about material safety data sheets, documents that contain information on potential hazards and how to work safely with chemical products.
He says the classroom teaching and setting in YMA is conducive to learning. “Brence [Senior Machining Instructor Brence Turner] breaks things down to where I can understand it – it doesn’t see like it’s too fast or slow, but just right.”
Classes are held online for now, but participants also go on field trips, including a recent trip to Dakkota Integrated Systems a company that makes products for automotive and other industries on Chicago’s South Side. “We took a tour around the facility, and even got to work with the machines,” says Davon.
Hazelwood says he can see himself working in the manufacturing sector. He asks: “Why not see it through and learn in this program, and then figure out what I want to be?”
Alexandria Parlor
Alexandria Parlor, who just moved to Chicago from Detroit with a friend, found out about the YMA from her cousin, who participated in the program. She lives on the city’s west side.
“I dropped out of high school in 12th grade, and ended up getting my GED a couple of months ago. I’ve been working for two years.” She’s been a barista for Starbucks, and delivered products by bike for Getir, an on-demand delivery service, among other jobs.
Parlor, who has a four-year-old son and many family members in the Chicago area, says she is looking for something more stable – and thinks a job in manufacturing could be the right fit for her. “I’m learning that there are many opportunities in manufacturing – it’s more than just automotive, but clothing, phones, and so much else. Anything you see has been made by people. If there’s another pandemic, the main jobs I see that keep the world spinning are manufacturing, technology, and medical.”
In the early weeks of the YMA program, she has learned about micrometers and different types of metals. She says she would like to go to college and be a metallurgist, someone who is trained in the extraction, refining, alloying, and fabrication of metals.
The YMA program is exposing her to opportunities she didn’t know about growing up. “I never heard about jobs like this,” she says. Parlor adds that she grew up in a neighborhood with “a lot of low-income housing and Section 8 housing.” She recalls that “there were a lot of people hustling and finding ways to make money. There was a lot of unemployment. I always thought that’s not the way to go.”
Though she wants to go to college, she says that “four years of college right now is not what I’m thinking about. I need a job.”
“The YMA program,” she says, “is definitely working for me. I think it could help a lot.”
-Dan Baron
dan@danbaron.com