Northeast State welcomed a new class of apprentices from J.A. Street & Associates into the fold at an apprentice signing event held in February at the Technical Education Complex on the College’s Blountville campus.
Northeast State’s Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) and the Technologies Division hosted an apprenticeship signing Friday for the 13 new apprentices at the Technical Education Complex (TEC) building on the Blountville campus. The signing represents the largest group of apprentices who have signed with Northeast State / RCAM since they began offering several programs four years ago. Carpenter and Metal Buildings are the two newest apprenticeship offerings.
“Apprenticeships have been around for a long time,” said Dr. Sam Rowell, vice president for Economic and Workforce Development at Northeast State. “They are prestigious and are gaining a lot of popularity and recognition in the United States,”
Six carpentry apprentices inked agreements, while seven metal building construction apprentices were signed up. The new carpentry apprentices are: Dennis Brickey; Cameron Johnson; Jacob Lynch; Matthew Lane; Cole Street; Nikolas Willis. The new apprentices focused on the Metal Buildings path are: Jordan Grigg; Robert Daniel Hyder; Seth Osborne; Timothy Patty; Allen Simerly; Nicholas Troxell; and Samuel Zeigler.
New apprentices and J.A. Street admins pictured are (clockwise from bottom left Samuel Zeigler; Allen Simerly; Seth Osborne; Robert Daniel Hyder; Jordan Grigg; Nicholas Troxell; Timothy Patty; Jim Street; and James Osborne)
These apprentices and J.A. Street employees will receive at least 4,000 to 8,000 hours of on-the-job training during the two- or four-year apprenticeship. That training augments an additional 144 hours job-related education classroom hours per year. Students will attend class one night a week for two hours.
“Training that might take these employees to get in 12 years will now take four years,” said Jim Street, J.A. Street’s chief executive officer. “I want to thank Northeast State for getting together with us and bringing this opportunity—I’m really excited about it.”
Street said his company had used training programs for the last 35-40 years, but skilled and veteran workers employed as instructors were not always successful in the classroom.
“Northeast State came to us and said they can do it—educate with educators—that’s their specialty, and that’s what we needed,” Street said.
New Carpentry apprentices pictured are (clockwise from bottom left, Dennis Brickey; Cole Street; James Osborne; Nikolas Willis; Cameron Johnson; Matthew Lane; Jacob Lynch; and James Street.)
The Carpenter Apprenticeship is a four-year program. Those apprentices earn 8,000 total on-the-job training hours over four years. They also complete 605 total classroom training hours. The Metal Building Apprenticeship is a two-year program. Apprentices receive 2,000 on-the-job training hours annually for two years coupled with 288 total hours of classroom training.
“It’s going to better me and everyone else in this program,” said Cole Street, a new carpenter apprentice. “This is a great thing for the company. Anyone who wants to go into any trade or job for that matter, an apprenticeship is a great opportunity.”
James Osborne, director of Safety and Quality at J.A. Street and Associates, said the company operated training programs for many years. In a continuous effort to improve employee training, Osborne learned of the apprenticeship program through RCAM. He discussed with Jim Street how those programs listed as a Department of Labor approved apprenticeship; he liked the idea and told me to research how to make that happen.
With Street’s support, Osborne contacted RCAM Training Coordinator Cindy Necessary to learn how their training could flow into an apprenticeship. He credited Necessary with her hard work bringing the program particulars together.
“We owe Cindy a huge thanks for all of her hard work through this process,” said Osborne. “We are happy to be partnered with RCAM and Northeast State with our apprenticeship programs.”
Northeast State and RCAM created the apprenticeship program in 2017. That program made Northeast State the first community college in Tennessee to sponsor registered apprenticeship programs to provide small- and mid-sized employers with a structured training process using the DOL Standards of Apprenticeship. The carpentry/metal building apprenticeships were a leap for the College, which has mostly provided instruction in the mechatronics and industrial maintenance field.
“One of the big challenges for us in any type of new program is finding the right instructor,” said RCAM Executive Director Heath McMillian. “However, given our industry contacts, we were able to hire an instructor to help us with the leap, and he can teach both classes.”
McMillian said Northeast State’s registered apprenticeship programs use U.S. Department of Labor standards, which provides certification for more than 1,000 occupations. The curriculum for the J.A. Street program will come from NCCER National Center for Construction Education & Research as well as the Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association content.
RCAM is a registered apprenticeship sponsor, meaning it can put together a training package – per DOL guidelines – for companies of any size. This training is especially valuable for smaller companies and entrepreneurs that might not otherwise be able to offer or sustain an apprenticeship program. At the end of the program, the workers receive a DOL certificate of completion.
Programs are established as “Group Apprenticeship Programs” enabling companies of all sizes to take advantage of apprenticeship training, without the burden of managing a company sponsored program. Companies that use such programs can diversify their workforce, improve productivity and profitability, standardize training, reduce turnover, receive tax credits, and more.
“We appreciate you guys, we want people who want to be trained and learn more about their trade,” said Street. “This is a great step for every one of our people and for us, too.”
Northeast State welcomed a new class of apprentices from J.A. Street & Associates into the fold at an apprentice signing event held in February at the Technical Education Complex on the College’s Blountville campus.
Northeast State’s Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) and the Technologies Division hosted an apprenticeship signing Friday for the 13 new apprentices at the Technical Education Complex (TEC) building on the Blountville campus. The signing represents the largest group of apprentices who have signed with Northeast State / RCAM since they began offering several programs four years ago. Carpenter and Metal Buildings are the two newest apprenticeship offerings.
“Apprenticeships have been around for a long time,” said Dr. Sam Rowell, vice president for Economic and Workforce Development at Northeast State. “They are prestigious and are gaining a lot of popularity and recognition in the United States,”
Six carpentry apprentices inked agreements, while seven metal building construction apprentices were signed up. The new carpentry apprentices are: Dennis Brickey; Cameron Johnson; Jacob Lynch; Matthew Lane; Cole Street; Nikolas Willis. The new apprentices focused on the Metal Buildings path are: Jordan Grigg; Robert Daniel Hyder; Seth Osborne; Timothy Patty; Allen Simerly; Nicholas Troxell; and Samuel Zeigler.
These apprentices and J.A. Street employees will receive at least 4,000 to 8,000 hours of on-the-job training during the two- or four-year apprenticeship. That training augments an additional 144 hours job-related education classroom hours per year. Students will attend class one night a week for two hours.
“Training that might take these employees to get in 12 years will now take four years,” said Jim Street, J.A. Street’s chief executive officer. “I want to thank Northeast State for getting together with us and bringing this opportunity—I’m really excited about it.”
Street said his company had used training programs for the last 35-40 years, but skilled and veteran workers employed as instructors were not always successful in the classroom.
“Northeast State came to us and said they can do it—educate with educators—that’s their specialty, and that’s what we needed,” Street said.
The Carpenter Apprenticeship is a four-year program. Those apprentices earn 8,000 total on-the-job training hours over four years. They also complete 605 total classroom training hours. The Metal Building Apprenticeship is a two-year program. Apprentices receive 2,000 on-the-job training hours annually for two years coupled with 288 total hours of classroom training.
“It’s going to better me and everyone else in this program,” said Cole Street, a new carpenter apprentice. “This is a great thing for the company. Anyone who wants to go into any trade or job for that matter, an apprenticeship is a great opportunity.”
James Osborne, director of Safety and Quality at J.A. Street and Associates, said the company operated training programs for many years. In a continuous effort to improve employee training, Osborne learned of the apprenticeship program through RCAM. He discussed with Jim Street how those programs listed as a Department of Labor approved apprenticeship; he liked the idea and told me to research how to make that happen.
With Street’s support, Osborne contacted RCAM Training Coordinator Cindy Necessary to learn how their training could flow into an apprenticeship. He credited Necessary with her hard work bringing the program particulars together.
“We owe Cindy a huge thanks for all of her hard work through this process,” said Osborne. “We are happy to be partnered with RCAM and Northeast State with our apprenticeship programs.”
Northeast State and RCAM created the apprenticeship program in 2017. That program made Northeast State the first community college in Tennessee to sponsor registered apprenticeship programs to provide small- and mid-sized employers with a structured training process using the DOL Standards of Apprenticeship. The carpentry/metal building apprenticeships were a leap for the College, which has mostly provided instruction in the mechatronics and industrial maintenance field.
“One of the big challenges for us in any type of new program is finding the right instructor,” said RCAM Executive Director Heath McMillian. “However, given our industry contacts, we were able to hire an instructor to help us with the leap, and he can teach both classes.”
McMillian said Northeast State’s registered apprenticeship programs use U.S. Department of Labor standards, which provides certification for more than 1,000 occupations. The curriculum for the J.A. Street program will come from NCCER National Center for Construction Education & Research as well as the Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association content.
RCAM is a registered apprenticeship sponsor, meaning it can put together a training package – per DOL guidelines – for companies of any size. This training is especially valuable for smaller companies and entrepreneurs that might not otherwise be able to offer or sustain an apprenticeship program. At the end of the program, the workers receive a DOL certificate of completion.
Programs are established as “Group Apprenticeship Programs” enabling companies of all sizes to take advantage of apprenticeship training, without the burden of managing a company sponsored program. Companies that use such programs can diversify their workforce, improve productivity and profitability, standardize training, reduce turnover, receive tax credits, and more.
“We appreciate you guys, we want people who want to be trained and learn more about their trade,” said Street. “This is a great step for every one of our people and for us, too.”
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