AHK USA Skills Update

"It's no secret that shop owners and managers frequently bellyache about the difficulty of attracting skilled workers and poach staff from other manufacturers by offering better pay," noted Alan Richter, editor of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, in his article about the recent ICATT Open House at Hermle Machine in Wisconsin.

Yet, there is only so much a company can pay, and when hiring somebody from another firm, the employee is already used to switching jobs to get ahead in their career and likely to do it again when opportunity arises. High employee turnover remains an issue and at the same time, employees from the baby boomer generation need to be replaced soon.

Developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy combining proper training and increased employee loyalty requires a lot of resources not usually available at companies, especially SMEs.

The GACCs' models for apprenticeship programs, it's structure, standards and the certification offer a nationwide solution that tackles exactly the challenges of developing a mid- to long-term HR strategy. Through our standardized programs, we ensure:

certificates equaling real skills
knowledge about and understanding of shop floor reality
transferability of knowledge and underlying principles
the right training resources and manuals
appropriate trainer qualification

We help companies to take on the skills gap. Find out more about our activities and how to get involved below.

Yours sincerely,

Mario Kratsch

Director, Skills Initiative

GACC Midwest

NEWS AND UPDATES

Learn about Careers through Apprenticeships

Participating ICATT companies are opening their doors for high school students and their parents between March 27 and April 7. This is a great way to find out what manufacturing is all about. Contact us for more information.

The ICATT team has also been visiting

high schools

across Chicagoland to introduce students to the opportunity of ICATT Apprenticeships. If you would like to schedule a visit at your school, reach out to

Melissa Kmetz

The ICATT Apprenticeship Program is presented at the following career fairs this spring:

Proviso Township District Career Fair (3/8) in Hillside, IL

Lake County Technology Campus Manufacturing Career Expo (3/8) in Grayslake, IL

Westinghouse College Prep Fair (3/14) in Chicago, IL

2017 Manufacturing Career Fair (04/12) in Schaumburg, IL

Triton Engineering Manufacturing & Automotive Job Fair (4/13) in River Grove, IL

STEM Innovation Fair (5/4) in Grayslake, IL

We hope to see you there!

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ICATT Welcomes Companies in Wisconsin

Hermle Machine Co. and GACC Midwest together with their Wisconsin Chapter hosted an informative networking event on ICATT with a focus on Industrial Maintenance on March 2, 2017 in Franklin, WI. Over 60 attendees discussed the ICATT Apprenticeship Program and its benefits. Apprentices currently enrolled and companies already participating in the ICATT program shared their experiences on a panel discussion. If you are located in Wiscoinsin and want to get involved, contact Geneva Scurek.

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Standfast Group & BBS Automation Join ICATT

We are very happy to welcome Standfast Group and BBS Automation to the ICATT Apprenticeship Program.

For years, Standfast Group's area of expertise has been corrugated packaging: converting, printing, assembling and delivering it. BBS is committed to providing engineering services that offer solutions that are not only financially feasible and structurally sound, but help improve safety, reliability and profitability.

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GACC South Skills Initiative is growing

GA CATT is growin g: The Newnan-Coweta Chamber invited in February involved industries and five regional dealer for a German-Apprenticeship-Dinner to share Best Practice.

While industries recruit their second year apprenticeships, Automotive dealers prepare to launch the first Automotive M echatronic Technician Apprenticeship Program this September. For more info on both programs contact Nicole Heimann.

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Brose Inc., Alabama is Starting Apprenticeships with German Standards

GACC South visited Brose Inc. in Alabama to discuss German-style apprenticeships. Brose Alabama will start a Dual Apprenticeship Program in manufacturing according to German standards in Summer 2017.

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Apprenticeship Programs - German Standard Certifications in the US

In the US, only GACCs are licensed to process apprenticeship program certifications to German standards. GACCs have developed a far-reaching model for nationwide implementation and certification of German standard apprenticeship programs. The current status of programs in the US officially certified by GACCs is as follows:

( as of 3/14/2017)

State	Company / Program	Profile / Occupation	Certified by
AL	Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc.	Automotive Mechatronics Technician	GACC South
AL	Brose Inc.	Mechatronics Technician	GACC South (certification in progress)
GA	GA CATT apprenticeship program	Industrial Maintenance Technician Automotive Mechatronics Technician	GACC South (certification in progress)
GA	IMS Gear Georgia, Inc.	Mechatronics Technician	GACC Midwest (certification in progress)
IL	ICATT apprenticeship program	Automotive Mechatronics Technician CNC Machining Professional Freight Forward and Logistics Agent Industrial Maintenance Technician Mechatronics Technician Pharmaceutical Production Technician Tool and Die Maker	GACC Midwest
IN	Endress + Hauser, Inc.	Industrial Maintenance Technician	GACC Midwest (certification in progress)
MI	Michigan Advanced Technician Training Program	Mechatronics Technician Technical Product Designer	GACC Midwest
NC	SCHUNK	Mechatronics Technician	GACC South (certification in progress)
SC	MTU America Inc,Graniteville	Skilled Metal Worker	GACC South
SC	ZF Transmissions Gray Court, LLC	Industrial Maintenance Technician	GACC Midwest (certification in progress)
TN	Volkswagen Group of America,Inc.,Chattanooga Operations	Automotive Mechatronics Technician Mechatronics Technician	GACC South
VA	IMS Gear Virginia, Inc.	Mechatronics Technician	GACC Midwest (certification in progress)
VA	STIHL Inc., Virginia Beach	Mechatronics Technician	GACC Midwest
WI	ICATT apprenticeship program	Industrial Maintenance Technician	GACC Midwest

For more information visit our website

Contact


Mario Kratsch GACC Midwest Director, Skills Initiative 321 North Clark Street, Suite 1425 \| Chicago, IL 60654 Tel.: (312) 494-2171 E-Mail: [email protected]	Nicole Heimann GACC South Manager, Skills Initiative 1170 Howell Mill Rd, Ste 300 Atlanta, GA 30318 Tel.: (404) 586-6829 E-Mail: [email protected]	Matthew Allen GACC New York Director Human Resources and Operations 80 Pine street, 24th Floor New York, NY 10005 Tel.: (212) 974-8856 E-Mail: [email protected]

Being licensed by the German chamber network's umbrella organization (DIHK, Berlin) to be the only entity responsible in the US for certification processes of German Style Apprenticeship Programs, we developed services and programs for companies to actively engage in training their own workforce. And this does include program structures, program content and, of course, the examinations and certifications. By doing so, we make sure that the standard is aligned to the German standard and applied everywhere in the US. So you can rely on the high quality you expect and a certification and examination process that meets the highest standards.

Along with our services come all the benefits of an apprenticeship system that Germany made use of for centuries.