High school seniors from Coatesville Area School District completed a skilled welding internship at Morgan Truck Body last semester, resulting in seven full-time job offers to begin upon graduation starting at $23 per hour, and they can work part-time until then. Students earned pay while attending classes for two hours daily that count toward high school credit.

“We congratulate the seven students who completed Morgan’s comprehensive training program that included small-classroom lab instruction, training on welding equipment, and access to a Virtual Reality Welding Simulator,” said Richard Dixon, who manages the Morgan Truck Body high school training program. “The internship provides an excellent earn-while-you-learn pathway to achieving a living wage and an opportunity for advancement without a college degree.”

Each semester, up to 14 students are invited to participate in the paid training program, which draws from several school districts including Coatesville, TCHS, Twin Valley, Wilson, and Wyomissing Area School District, among others through the state.

Of the previous 36 students who have graduated from the program to date, 25 have been hired by Morgan Truck Body straight out of high school.

“Multiple generations of skilled workers have built their careers at Morgan Truck Body, which is the largest manufacturer of medium-duty dry freight and refrigerated van and truck bodies in North America,” said Julie Ubele, Talent Acquisition Manager at Morgan. “We support a workforce of 2700 employees and take pride in providing excellent training, benefits and opportunity for growth for individuals looking to build a career in the trades.”

Seniors in high school who are at least 17 years old can attend Morgan Truck Body’s paid welding training program in either the fall or spring session. Provided they are at least 18 years old, those who are offered employment at the end of the fall session can work part-time until graduation.

Students who are offered employment after the spring session can begin full-time work upon graduation, with 80 percent college tuition reimbursement after working full-time for six months. They also get full-time benefits including health, dental, vision, life insurance, disability plans, 401(k), paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more.

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