Ariel Machine Shop Employees Receive Machining Certificates

Thursday, April 11th, and Friday, April 12th, were two special days at Ariel. 231 Ariel machine shop employees received their one-year Precision Machining Certificate from Stark State College through Ariel’s Machine Shop Career Development Program. A large majority of these employees were on-hand for the ceremonies and many of them with spouses or other family members alongside. They were joined by leadership from both Ariel and Stark State, with special commencement addresses given by CEO, Karen Buchwald Wright, Technical Trainer, Roy Levingston, and Drs. Para Jones and Lada Gibson-Shreve, Stark State’s President and Chief Academic Officer, before and after each graduate received their certificates. The ceremony was followed by a tour of the Ariel Training Center. Everyone was welcomed to Mount Vernon Country Club for refreshments, conversation, and personal congratulations from Ariel and Stark State College leadership.

For most of the graduates, the journey began in the fall of 2015 as production slowed, and time for training increased. A few of the graduates had begun their courses back in 2009 and were able to pick up where they left off. The final courses were completed in early 2019. Our highly-skilled employees made themselves even more skilled at their current jobs, and they’ll be ready for their next steps as the business requires. All this took place on the clock, and the college credits and certification were paid for totally by Ariel.

Ariel’s approach to training is one of the many things that sets us apart from other manufacturers. In times of slower production, when many companies would downsize through layoffs, Ariel has been able to keep folks on the job, replacing production hours with education hours. And by keeping these skilled employees in place, we can build their skills and respond immediately to our customers’ needs when business ramps up quickly. It also reinforces the two-way trust and loyalty that are foundational parts of the Ariel culture.

We congratulate these 231 individuals for their hard work and accomplishment and appreciate the help and support they received from their families. They join 108 graduates from our 2014 class. It was a win for each employee, a win for the entire Ariel family, and ultimately – a win for our customers. We are blessed to have and continue to grow, the most skilled workforce in the world. And we are very proud of that fact!