A Stepping Stone to Your Future

When looking to take the first step towards your engineering career or a career in manufacturing, there are many options. Some paths include:

1. Technical training with a pre-apprenticeship or internship.
2. Apprenticeship with focus on specific education and on-the-job training.
3. College degree with internships

Each of these paths open opportunities for an engaging and exciting career in manufacturing.

Pre-apprenticeship vs Apprenticeship vs Internship

Each of these options will help you with – at varying degrees – gaining work experience in engineering and manufacturing and will allow you to connect with industry professionals. An apprenticeship gives you on-the-job training and is usually accompanied by some level of learning or study. A pre-apprenticeship program offers basic instruction on technical and job readiness skills to get you ready for an apprenticeship program or a full time job. An internship on the other hand is an experience where you do entry-level tasks or projects that correlate to your area of interest or study. At Bullen, internships are specifically targeted towards individuals working on college degrees. Each option might come with an experienced mentor and opportunities for going to networking events or meeting people at different levels within the company. 

Why do I need a pre-apprenticeship or internship?

If you’re enrolled in secondary or post-secondary education, many areas of study require students to complete a pre-apprenticeship or internship to graduate. The reason for that is that you get exposure to the workplace through engaging with other co-workers and, in some cases, clients. They also want you to have professional experience before entering the workforce. Getting that experience can give you an edge when applying for a full-time position at the same place or even at other companies. It also tests your interest and commitment to this area of study. 

Education isn’t the only reason to participate. Many people who are not students find internships and apprenticeships very useful. Coming out of high school, they can give a candidate who isn’t looking to pursue secondary education a leg up when it comes to applying for positions. Other adults already in the workforce often set their sights on internships and apprenticeships when looking for a career change, need to get more experience in a specialized area, seek entry into a specific company, or find themselves unemployed. The temporary nature of these opportunities makes it a great way to bridge the gap in employment, companies, or experience for many people.

Which one is right for me?

Picking which is right for you can often depend on the specific position and what you want from your time with a company. If you’re looking for a structured experience and to learn or study through your position, an engineering apprenticeship might be the better choice. A pre-apprenticeship or an internship would be a better fit if you’re just looking to get experience or learn the ropes of a new area of expertise through doing general, entry-level work.

What opportunities does Bullen offer?

Bullen often offers opportunities for engineering apprenticeships and internships as well as office internships. Our machining team also has opportunities for a pre-apprenticeship program where high school students can get experience with hands-on learning in automation at our facility and receive technical education at a local vocational school. Through this, participants will spend one-on-one time with our controls or machine teams to get experience that will help advance their careers. You could design industrial machine control systems; program PLC, HMI, Robot, and Servos; debug; or make continuous improvements by finding ways to reduce cycle time, cost, and scrap. See what one of our apprentices have to say:

“Over the past 8 months, I have been apprenticing under Tony Hargis. He has been a really neat individual to learn from, along with some of the other people in the shop. I have learned a ton from lots of different people at Bullen.” –Copeland Woodall, Pre-Apprentice in Machining

About Bullen

For 50 years, Bullen has remained a globally recognized leader in ultrasonic machining of high-quality components used in semiconductors, MEMS, transportation, defense and aerospace, as well as medical and life sciences industries. Our internship, apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship programs allow you to learn about the type of company that interests you and believes in your future. 

Bullen offers competitive wages, health insurance, retirement for part-time and full-time employees, tuition reimbursement, extensive job training opportunities, mentorships, employee resources groups, team and company activities, and many more benefits and activities our teams get excited about throughout the year. You can learn more about our team and values in our other articles: The Ugly Baby and The Purpose of Business.

Connect with our team

If you’re interested in working with Bullen and want more information on our pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and internship opportunities or a tour of our facility, please contact Heather Beatty | 937-456-7133 | hbeatty@bullentech.com.