When Michael Hammons graduated from Science Hill High School in 1991, his destiny in the world of work was uncertain.
Hammons said the time spent as a student at Tennessee Technology Center at Elizabethton, coupled with the encouragement from one of his instructors, Ronnie White, forever changed his life. White also introduced him to his future wife, the former Rachel Little, a 1999 graduate of Elizabethton High School.
After completing Millwright Skills (industrial maintenance) and Welding programs at TTC-Elizabethton, Hammons is now traveling within and outside the United States for his employer, Siemens Westinghouse, performing routine maintenance and repairing large turbines used by power plants, among others, to keep the lights burning in people's homes around the World.
Until he met White, Hammons said he was flipping hamburgers at a local fast-food restaurant. He earned extra money by mowing yards. "Mr. White opened up the whole world of work for me. I was seeking the training necessary to find a good job," Hammons said.
Hammons, the son of James and Brenda Hammons of Johnson City, was among the first students to enroll in the Millwright Skills program at TTC-Elizabethton in 1994. He graduated a year later.
Today, Hammons' multi-crafted skills enable him to perform millwright and welding tasks normally done by two people. While perched inside the inner workings of a turbine, which weighs 5 to 200 tons and costs millions of dollars, Hammons can expedite repairs because he is also a welder. Hammons is certified both in welding and as a turbine technician. He is also classified as a Certified Specialist A, the highest level possible.
White said Hammons was an excellent student and an outstanding person "dedicated to any job assignment presented to him." After completing the Millwright Skills program, Hammons was employed by Fluor Daniels at Kingsport until he experienced a workforce reduction there.
Hammons next worked in LaGrange, Ga., before returning to TTC-Elizabethton to study welding. After graduating from the welding program in1996, Hammons was employed by Flour Daniels in Greenville, S.C., as a welder.
In 1998, Mike Verbonitz, operations manager for Siemens Westinghouse in Elizabethton, hired Hammons as a turbine technician upon the recommendation of White. "Since then, Hammons has become one of the best turbine technicians, with a very substantial salary, at Siemens Westinghouse," said White.
During hiring periods, Siemens Westinghouse looks at the Tennessee Technology Center. "It was one of the many reasons why we located here," Verbonitz said.
The Millwright Skills program at TTC-Elizabethton, the only training program of its kind currently offered in the United States, is one of the hottest programs in terms of employment. In the last 12 years, more than 400 graduates of the program have been employed in jobs throughout the U.S. and abroad, according to White.
"The most positive aspect of the Millwright Skills program is how it changes the way students perceive their future. It gives students an outlook on how they can achieve financial and educational freedom. However, we are having difficulty backfilling students in the program who are being employed. It is a good problem to have," White said.
White, playing the role of matchmaker, introduced Michael to Rachel, the daughter of Tom and Lynn Little of Elizabethton. The couple "met at the copying machine" and later married. Today, they have a daughter, Amber, age 3.
In 2001, Rachel graduated at the top of her class in the Business Systems Technology program at TTC-Elizabethton and was president of the Honor Society. Today, Rachel is employed as a Project Manager at Siemens Westinghouse.
What are the Hammons' future plans? "I would like for us to have our own business someday," Rachel said. Michael's work requires him to travel 80 percent of the time, she said.
Millwright Skills, Welding and BST programs at TTC-Elizabethton may be completed in 12 months. Diplomas are awarded to graduates of each program. Governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents and accredited by the Council on Occupational Education, TTC-Elizabethton is observing its 40th anniversary this year after opening in 1965 as the State Area Vocational-Technical School at Elizabethton.