Historically employers have enrolled a few apprentices each year. These apprentices complete their OJT during work hours and travel to a designed location for their classroom instruction. Although this model works well, there are added benefits to keeping this in-house.
Starting an apprenticeship cohort at your company is a new trend employers are beginning to utilize due to the unique benefits it provides to their employees as well as the company’s production output and skill development.
As a workforce intermediary, AJAC is positioned to help small-to-medium-sized manufacturing employers develop internal robust training programs that directly meet their short-term and long-term workforce development needs.
In spring 2022, AJAC partnered with Chemi-Con Materials in Moses Lake, Washington to begin offering our Industrial Maintenance Technician apprenticeship program. This program combines 8,000 hours of structured, paid on-the-job training coupled with 12 college-level classes.
Apprentices learn from seasoned mentors each day while meeting specific OJT competencies defined by AJAC and Chemi-Con. One night a week, apprentices learn the theory behind what they are doing on the job through curriculum accredited though a local community or technical college.
The education, workforce, business and government partnerships that support AJAC help companies to build a talent pipeline while reducing turnover costs and increasing employee retention. Our programs contribute to the diversity and productivity of the workforce, and the promotion of a culture which emphasizes continuous learning and innovation.
