Manufacturers looking for talent often think about starting an apprenticeship program to get students in the door, but don’t know how to start or begin creating a program that will work for them. There are a few things to consider when planning your manufacturing apprenticeship program, and we have laid out some tips to help start the development process.
Collaborate & Think Through with Your Team
When planning or brainstorming the idea of a manufacturing apprenticeship program, discussing the goals of your business is crucial. This includes looking into current hiring challenges and other businesses challenges. The goals of this program from a business standpoint will help the full development of the apprenticeship program. Below are common outcomes that manufacturers are looking for and are able to accomplish when they build their manufacturing apprenticeship program:
- Better trained employees and higher retention rates
- Increased productivity and innovation from apprentices
- Saves time in the hiring process
Find Partners
The next step in creating a manufacturing apprenticeship program is to look for partners. Successful programs often include a great partnership between schools, businesses, communities, or other organizations. It really does take a group effort to create a successful program for the student and business. Businesses often already have local connections and schools in the area that can get involved but are not sure how to start the conversation. GPSEd has many education partners in Wisconsin that are eager to start working with manufacturers.
GPSEd also offers intermediary services to make the connection between the students, school, and business as seamless as possible. An intermediary is a great option to take some of the responsibility and work in creating and developing a successful program.
Develop Leadership
Another important part of a successful program is to decide on leadership roles for the program. Leadership roles including mentors and on-the-job-training guides. Internally these leaders will help the program stay on track with business goals and the apprentice’s success.
Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program with In-Class Learning
Businesses will often collaborate with an education partner for students to participate in classroom learning within the program. GPSEd makes this a bit easier to control for a new program with dedicated Education Centers across the state of Wisconsin for students to take typical high school classes while working in the program. Looking for more information about our programs results and model? Learn more about our manufacturing youth apprenticeships.