National Apprenticeship Week is November 12-18: NICC expanding apprenticeships to serve in-demand skilled needs for businesses
Employees working in the trades, and the companies that employ them, stand to benefit from Northeast Iowa Community College’s (NICC) development of new apprenticeship programs. The College has established seven U.S. Department of Labor approved apprenticeships.
Those apprenticeships include Tool and Die Maker; CNC Set Up Programmer Milling and Turning; Mold Maker; Electrician, Maintenance; Mechanic, Maintenance; Plumber; and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC). With the support and input of northeast Iowa employer sponsors, NICC continues to develop, market and promote additional apprenticeship programs, according to Chris Carlson, Ed.D., NICC dean of career and technical education.
“Northeast Iowa Community College is poised and ready to partner with high schools and businesses to provide training in high-demand, skilled occupations and to develop new competency-based apprenticeship and Career Pathway Certificates,” said Wendy Mihm-Herold, Ph.D., NICC vice president of business and community solutions. “Our concurrent enrollment partnerships with 24 high schools, and the development of career pathways and career academies, is identifying new ‘earn and learn’ options. By working directly with high schools and employers, we are enhancing northeast Iowa’s talent pipeline: this collaboration builds Iowa’s workforce and benefits employers.”
COLLABORATION AND CAREER PATHWAYS
Establishing career pathways matches students to career interests earlier in the process. The College’s partnerships with high schools help students to identify their career interests, and students may enroll in one of 20 Career Pathway Certificate (CPC) programs at NICC. In fact, high school graduates of all ages are invited to enroll in CPC programs, which essentially function as a pre-apprenticeship program.
“CPCs are similar to apprenticeship programs because graduates are positioned to continue their training and education at the College or immediately enter the workforce. Our CPC graduates have demonstrated an average success rate of 95 percent for having secured employment or continued their education,” Mihm-Herold explained.
COMPANIES AND APPRENTICES GROW THROUGH SPONSORSHIP
The current shortage of skilled trades workers in northeast Iowa translates into more opportunities for employees to sharpen their skills, and for employers to grow their own workforce talent through sponsorships.
For employee apprentices, the customized training they complete often leads to increased earnings and career advancement. Employer sponsors gain because the competency-based apprenticeship model at Northeast Iowa Community College is business-driven; the employer decides who to hire and sponsor in the apprenticeship. Employer sponsors may also enroll apprentices in additional technical courses to match the company’s needs, whether those needs include expanding market reach or developing the skill sets of its employees to secure a new customer’s business.
David Bentz, a CNC machinist and team lead employee at Dubuque Screw Products, graduated from the College’s CNC Machinist program in August 2013. While employed, Dubuque Screw sponsored Bentz in the CNC Set Up Programmer, Milling and Turning apprenticeship program through NICC. Bentz graduated in November 2017. During his apprenticeship and today at Dubuque Screw, he oversees tooling and programming work, and identifies process improvements.
“I was one of the pioneers to get on board with the apprenticeship program at Northeast Iowa Community College. It built on what I had learned in the CNC diploma program, but it was more advanced. Because it is competency-based, I tested through some things that I already learned. At the end of the apprenticeship, I had to be capable of manufacturing parts that I planned and designed, and that are high-quality,” Bentz explained.
WHAT IS A COMPETENCY-BASED APPRENTICESHIP?
Competency-based apprenticeships allow students to apply previous experience and work on individual projects under the direction of NICC faculty members and an employer sponsor. Unlike the antiquated apprenticeship model, there is no standard amount of hours apprentices must complete to earn journeyman and master credentials - the focus at the College is on measureable competencies.
An employer sponsor may want its best machinists to enhance their skills on tooling or molding projects specific to their individual industries, for example. This teamwork directly benefits both employee apprentices and employer sponsors, leading to beneficial outcomes.
To participate in a current apprenticeship program as an employer sponsor or to create a new registered apprenticeship, contact Greg Willging, Northeast Iowa Community College economic development director, at 563-557-8271, ext. 128. More information on apprenticeship options is available at www.nicc.edu/apprenticeship.
