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Midwest HVAC News
Uponor creates registered
apprenticeship.
Program developed in concert with Minnesota Department of Labor and
Industry to recruit, train and retain skilled maintenance workers.
Uponor
North America (Uponor) has developed an apprenticeship program with
the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) to help
recruit, train and retain skilled workers in the midst of the
skilled labor shortage. The apprenticeship is a three-year program
in the maintenance department, an area where it is particularly
challenging to find qualified employees. Depending on the success of
the initial program, Uponor will potentially create additional
apprenticeships to further develop both internal and external
talent.
“Talent shortages and skill gaps are slowing manufacturers’ efforts
to expand, innovate and thrive,” explains Bill Gray, president of
Uponor North America. “By developing an apprenticeship program in
combination with internships, educational opportunities, and other
recruitment initiatives, we hope to mitigate this widespread trend.”
According to a recent study from Deloitte Consulting LLP and the
Manufacturing Institute, "The Skills Gap in U.S. Manufacturing: 2015
and Beyond,” there will be a shortage of two million manufacturing
employees over the next decade, meaning the average U.S.
manufacturer will lose 11 percent of annual earnings due to the
talent shortage. Seven in 10 manufacturing executives also report
shortages of workers with adequate technical and computer skills.
Uponor’s apprenticeship program was developed as part of the
Minnesota Apprenticeship Initiative (MAI) to expand registered
apprenticeships as a workforce-development tool that combines
job-related technical instruction with structured on-the-job
learning experiences. Apprenticeship Minnesota helps employers
design an apprenticeship program that provides participants with
specific skills, training and job-related instruction to fit the
company’s needs.
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Ken Peterson,
Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry commissioner, says,
“In all skilled occupations across Minnesota, employers are
seeking solutions to train new and existing workers for today’s
more technical jobs. Apprenticeships can be a proactive and
productive solution to address this need.”
The initial maintenance apprenticeship program at Uponor will
encompass more than 6,000 hours of on-the-job training and
related instruction. Apprentices will receive training in
production rotations, working at the repair/fabrication shop,
HVAC repair and adjustment, troubleshooting PLCs, basic
carpentry, electrical repairs, and rebuilding, installing,
adjusting and troubleshooting pneumatics and hydraulics among
other skills. Related training will include ABB Robot training,
Yaskawa training, and pneumatics and hydraulics training. By the
end of the program, apprentices will receive PMMI Level 2
certification and achieve Journeyman status or a Maintenance
Electrical license.
Apprenticeships generally start once a student graduates from a
two-year technical school, though graduates are eligible to
apply for the apprenticeship for up to 18 months after they
graduate. Additionally, the state has agreed to allow the second
year of education for apprenticeship candidates from vetted
programs, including Dunwoody College of Technology, Hennepin
Tech, Dakota County Technical College, South Central Community
and Technical College, Ridgewater College, St. Cloud Technical
and Community College, Anoka Technical, and MN West Community
and Technical College, to count for requirements for this
specific apprenticeship. This is particularly important to
Uponor, which already has an internship program with Dunwoody
that can be used as a pipeline for recruiting talent.
In addition to receiving support from the Minnesota Department
of Labor in developing the program, Uponor will also receive a
Minnesota Apprenticeship Initiative grant, through which Uponor
will receive $5,000 per registered apprentice to help cover
training costs.
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