Tattoo artist Peter Miller was looking for stability for his family when he decided to enroll in the Machinist training program at Moore tech.
Machinists operate heavy machinery to produce parts and tools from metal, plastic, or other materials. There is a strong market for those skills in Memphis with medical devices and advanced manufacturing companies like Smith+Nephew, Onix Medical, Eversana, and more.
The training was free, part of the MOVEHIRE (Medical Device Occupations Value Education and Help in the Regional Economy) grant, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and administered locally through the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce (GMACW).
“The training I received at Moore Tech funded by the MOVEHIRE grant has meant the world to me,” said Miller. “I was able to learn things at school that helped me land a quality job after only 2 trimesters. I’ve been able to put myself and my family in a more stable financial position while still learning and growing in the job.”
Miller is now a machinist at Moultrie Tool & Die making good pay. He is still tattooing and says that since going to school, he’s actually been able to grow in his tattooing, as he can be more selective with the projects he takes on.
“My new job has been great. I worked there for a short time when quarantine first happened, so I had a foundation to be hired on a full time,” said Miller. “I’m doing machining, but also a lot of different other things as well – electrical, welding, carpentry, etc. I feel confident that having an array of skills will only bode well for me in the future.”