National Apprenticeship Week is just over a week away, and we want to help you make a big splash! All week long we'll be promoting events at participating companies, colleges, and partners. We'll also be announcing the winner of the 2019 GACC Apprenticeship Award.

If you don't yet follow us on social media yet, now is a great time to start! As we work together to raise the profile of apprenticeships and all the possibilities they offer, be sure to like and share our posts.




We hope to see you online soon!



Kind regards,

Director, Skills Initiative & Apprenticeship Programs
National Apprenticeship Week (November 11-17) is almost here, which means companies across the country will be opening their doors to showcase their programs to prospective apprentices, parents, and school groups. All week long, the ICATT and MAT² Apprenticeship Program teams will be promoting their Network Companies' events.

Use the excitement of NAW to host, schedule, or promote an open house at your facility! Contact Lee Wickham to get on our social media schedule or for assistance in planning open house events.
Companies who are eager to develop their next generation of skilled workers should act now! The next cohort of ICATT apprentices is set to begin in January of 2020 at selected colleges in northern Illinois.

If you would like to hire an apprentice for the upcoming cohort, please contact Joshua Seeberg by November 15, 2019.

The Michigan Advanced Technician Training Program ( MAT²) has launched a new website. It provides relevant information on the Michigan-based Apprenticeship Program for companies, apprentices and the interested public. 

Earlier this month, the ICATT Apprenticeship Program distributed apprentice reservation forms, allowing network companies to forecast the number of apprentices they intend to hire. With these forms, ICATT will better serve companies with more targeted recruiting efforts and enable an earlier start to the hiring process.

Submit your reservation form for Fall 2020 apprentices to Lee Wickham by November 29, 2019 in order to ensure timely recruiting activities.
GACC South will host a delegation from Nuremberg, Germany, the first week of November in Coweta County, Georgia. On November 5, representatives from E.G.O. will visit the CEC College Career Academy at West Georgia Technical College to explore transatlantic educational exchange.

On November 6, the delegation will meet with House Representative Angelika Kausche of the City of John’s Creek to discuss how German-style apprenticeships can be adopted into the American education system.

If you want to learn more about this event, contact Kevin Lister .


Bühler Inc. is located in Plymouth, MN, and is our first ICATT Network C ompany in the Twin Cities area set to start in 2020. Bühler provides process technologies for food, feed, and advanced materials and are offering apprenticeships for Mechatronics Technicians.

 Vestergaard Company Inc. is located in McHenry, IL, and is the first Danish-owned company in the ICATT Network. Vestergaard manufactures support service vehicles for the airline industry and is offering apprenticeships for Advanced Manufacturing Technicians.


For more information about ICATT's growing network, please contact Sascha Kuhn.
Upcoming Events
Danville Area Community College (DACC) will be hosting an ICATT Apprenticeship Program info session on Wednesday, November 13 at 10 am. Manufacturing companies in the Danville, IL region are encouraged to attend to hear how the ICATT Apprenticeship Program can help them with gaps in their workforce. 

Please contact Doris Bawa for further details.

Mark Zumdohme, President of ICATT N etwork Company Graepel North America Inc. , will be speaking on a workforce development panel at the Nebraska Chamber Economic Development Summit in Lincoln, NE, on November 7.

Nebraska manufacturers are encouraged to attend and to connect with ICATT team member Joshua Seeberg at the summit.

Full details and registration here .
The Illinois Manufacturers Association (IMA) invites you to attend its annual luncheon on December 6 in Chicago.

Virginia Rounds will moderate a discussion between ICATT Network Companies, apprentices, and graduates. I n addition to insights on the latest news on trades & tariffs, t he Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Paul K. Kearns, Director of the US Department of Energy's   Argonne National Laboratory.

Find more information and the online registration here or contact Virginia Rounds.
Event Recaps
GACC South held a Train the Trainer workshop the week of October 14 at its Atlanta office. Twelve mentors participated in the training and subsequent ADA certification exam. Duracell and VW were among the prominent companies represented at the workshop, alongside leaders from local companies.

For more information about the workshop, visit GACC South.
12 participants from industry, education, and policy joined our study trip to Germany to learn how Industry 4.0 and workforce training interact. Hearing perspectives from German apprentices was a particular highlight. 
 
GACC Midwest will be organizing two more programs in 2020 – stay tuned for more details.
 
Read more about the Transatlantic Apprenticeship Dialog .
Earlier this month at Elgin Community College , ICATT hosted a network-wide discussion of best practices in apprenticeship recruiting. Event speakers included Robert Head from Endress+Hauser , Julia Kane from GF Machining Solutions , and Eric Asmussen from the Department of Labor . Participants discussed high school presentations, planning of open house events, and veteran outreach.

To collaborate with the ICATT Apprenticeship Program during the current recruiting season, please contact Ian Duncan. 
Recap: ICATT Celebrates Ma nufa cturing Day at SWIC Fair
October 4 marked the eighth annual Manufacturing Day, where companies and educational institutions across the country held events to showcase this dynamic and fast-growing industry. The ICATT Apprenticeship Program's recruiting team attended one of the day’s largest events at Southwestern Illinois Community College’s Granite City campus, where over 1,600 local high school students gathered to learn about opportunities in the St. Louis area.

If you would like to host your own Manufacturing Day celebration next year, visit the Manufacturing Day website .
ICATT Network Company Krones, Inc . held its first KRONES Customer Forum at its new Technology and Training Center in Franklin, WI, from October 15 - 16.   ICATT presented three breakout sessions on "Strategies for Effective Training," showcasing concepts from our internationally accredited "Train the Trainer" seminar to Krones customers from North and South America.

For more information on Train the Trainer seminars, please contact Geneva Scurek .
Spotlights: The People Behind the Apprenticeships
GACC South is pleased to introduce Justin Haight , our new Skills Initiative Project Manager.
Justin lives in Tucker, Georgia, and studied business and marketing at Georgia College & State University. He previously oversaw the development and implementation of work-based learning programs at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “I believe in the benefits of apprenticeships, so it’s great to help expand these type of training programs in Georgia,” Justin said.

You can reach Justin at [email protected].
Contact us for more information
Virginia Rounds
GACC Midwest

321 N Clark St, Suite 1425
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 494-2163
Kevin Lister
GACC South

1170 Howell Mill Rd, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
(404) 586-6839

Matthew Allen
GACC New York

80 Pine St, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10005
(212) 974-8856