NEWS RELEASES
Elkhart Manufacturers Move Ahead With Apprenticeship Programs
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through WNDU News' website.
ELKHART, Ind. - WNDU, the NBC affiliate in South Bend, IN, reports that the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Partnership (AMSP) has received state and national funding. The AMSP, a collaboration between Elkhart County businesses and local education organizations, trains manufacturing employees for advancement in the RV industry. WMDU says that Lippert Components, one of eleven manufacturers in the organization, recently hosted an event to update the public on the progress of the partnership's efforts.
Jason Harrison, Director of Pathways for Students and Adults at the Horizon Education Alliance (HEA), told the gathered execs that the private Lumina Foundation named Elkhart County a talent hub, one of only 24 sites in the country to receive the distinction. The county is due to receive $275,000 in grant money for the program over the next 2.5 years. Lippert Components is the first AMSP partner to launch an apprentice training program, with 61 employees fine-tuning their automation skills while earning college credits from Ivy Tech. This apprenticeship is first the bilingual program of its kind in the country. “We're already seeing this is increasing their job retention and their opportunities to be promoted within their companies. It increases their safety, the quality, and the maintenance. The whole thing together makes a more productive workforce," Harrison said, according to WMDU’s report.
View the full article by WNDU news writer Maria Catanzarite here.