Northeast State welcomes newest apprentice from Bell Textron
News » 2025 » September » Northeast State welcomes newest apprentice from Bell Textron
Officials with the Bell Textron company and Northeast State’s Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) welcomed new apprentice candidate Collin Coffey into the Registered Apprenticeship Program for the Machine Tool pathway.
“We are appreciative of the partnership we have with Northeast State,” said Tom Williams, of Bell Textron. “The insight we are getting into machining as a whole and the opportunity for people to continue to grow with our company as well.”
Coffey becomes the seventh Bell Textron employee to enter the apprenticeship program. The first Bell employees entered the group apprenticeship program in November of 2020.
“Our partnership with Bell exemplifies what the apprenticeship program delivers for our region,” said Dawn Carter, apprenticeship director at Northeast State. “Our apprenticeship program not only enhances the skill sets of our workforce but also drives economic growth by ensuring that local businesses have access to qualified talent.”
The Machine Tool certificate program prepares students to become machinists. Those trained machinists read blueprints and operate precision measuring instruments, metal-turning lathes, milling machines, and CNC equipment.
Coffey began his apprenticeship journey when he joined the work-based learning program while he was a student at Dobyns-Bennett High School. Coffey said a fascination with the creativity of machining piqued his interest in machining. He credited DBHS career and tech education director, Bo Shadden, as a driving force to encourage students to enter the work-based learning program.
Williams noted that machining skills were a premium to produce the specialized parts required for aviation. A changing global supply chain requires many companies to train skilled trade professionals in-house.
“I’m thrilled we are continuing our relationship with Bell,” said Blake Montgomery, Assistant Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development at Northeast State.
The CNC machining apprenticeship crosswalks with the college’s associate of applied science degree in machine tool technology. This means apprentices earn a significant amount of college credit hours towards the A.A.S. degree while completing the apprenticeship curriculum.
Machine tool apprentice candidates such as Coffey complete 8,000 hours of training. Upon completion of that training, apprentice candidates earn a coveted U.S. Department of Labor apprentice certification.
New apprentices and partners continue to join Northeast State, which worked with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Apprenticeship to establish the registered apprenticeship program established by RCAM and Northeast State in 2017.
Apprentice candidates meet testing proficiency requirements set forth by the National Career Readiness Certificate WorkKeys assessments. Candidates attend and pass coursework off-hours, demonstrate progress on the job, and submit monthly work progress reports.
“Work-based learning was awesome; I’ve told a lot of my friends to pursue that path,” said Coffey. “Any experience that is put in front of you, you should take it.”
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