AJAC serves as apprenticeship sponsor for interested advanced manufacturing firms ranging from aerospace, space exploration, defense, biomedical, and food manufacturing sectors. They prioritize providing apprenticeship training as career advancement strategy for incumbent/frontline manufacturing workers at small and medium-sized firms – companies who don’t have internal capacity to offer such programs on their own. Funds raised as a non-profit allow AJAC to offer programs to employers at little to no cost.
They have developed apprenticeship training for 12 occupations, including 2 for high-school juniors and seniors participating in CTE/Skill Center manufacturing programs. Currently, they are looking at expanding the program to offer apprenticeship training beyond production/maintenance areas at companies – focusing on developing apprenticeship pathways for logistics through a Career Connect Washington (CCW) grant, as well as engineering and business operations.
Challenges
- Perception that apprenticeship is only for traditional trades-related jobs, and/or only for collectively bargained employers.
Opportunities
- Partner with AJAC to offer any 1 or more of 13 available apprenticeship programs (ranging from entry-level to mid-skill to master craftsperson; 1.5-2 year to 5 year programs
- Provide input to AJAC’s current industry scan of logistics-related training needs.
- They will be releasing a survey for advanced manufacturing companies to complete over the next 2-3 weeks, regarding logistics-related training/hiring needs.
- Plans also include a statewide online employer roundtable (Date TBD).