GACCs
Skills Update
October 2018
Budgeting Season is Upon Us
Today, we have reason to celebrate: Happy Manufacturing Day, everybody ! As always, we are thrilled to support manufacturers in the US to develop their workforce and attract more young people to promising careers in manufacturing. Due to popular demand, we are proud to announce our very first spring cohort of the ICATT Apprenticeship Program for "Advanced Manufacturing Technicians" in January 2019. Read more below.

As companies set their budgets for the coming year, remember to plan for your apprentices! The ICATT Apprenticeship Program team is happy to help you with the cost-benefit analysis .

Upcoming timeline:

  • Fall 2018: Recruiting for spring & fall 2019-22 cohorts; curriculum development with colleges
  • October 9-12, 2018: Train the Trainer in Chicago
  • October 22-27, 2018: Train the Trainer in Atlanta
  • November 12-16, 2018 National Apprenticeship Week
  • November 14, 2018: GACC Apprenticeship Awards 2018, Washington D.C.
  • November 16, 2018: Deadline for new companies to join for the spring cohort. 
  • January 2019: Spring cohort for Advanced Manufacturing Technicians begins (Chicago region)  

If your company is part of any GACCs-certified apprenticeship program, please apply for the GACC Apprenticeship Award , with which we honor pioneers in workforce development through German-style apprenticeships. Find more details below.

Kind regards,

Virginia Attaway Rounds
Director, Skills Initiative & ICATT Apprenticeship Program
Announcement: First ICATT Spring Cohort to Start in January 2019
Due to increasing demand, we are starting our very first spring cohort of "Advanced Manufacturing Technician" ICATT Apprentices in January 2019 at Triton College and Elgin Community College.

If your company is looking to start closing the skills gap sooner rather than later , contact us now. We can help you identify the most promising candidates from a pre-selected pool of qualified applicants. We recommend starting interviews in October, with a trial employment period starting by December. 

For more information, please contac t Joshua Seeberg or call (312) 494-2170.
Transatlantic Apprenticeship Dialogue: On The Job Training
Don’t miss out on this intercultural exchange and trainer educational event series! Learn about best practices and methods for apprenticeship programs from your German industry counterparts (both small and mid-sized companies).

The on-the-Job Training Workshop Illinois - October 23-24
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Location: Wittenstein USA (1249 Humbracht Circle, Bartlett, IL 60103)
Experts from Germany will provide best practices on how to help close the skills gap from within.  

Wednesday, October 24, 2018
Field-trip type learning session at Streamwood High School and Triton College.
Location: Streamwood High School:   701 Schaumburg Rd, Streamwood, IL 60107

Email Stefanie Andrews to reserve your spot!

On-the-Job Training Trip to Germany - December 3-8
Join us for a week in Germany and experience apprenticeship style education and training from a front row seat! Starting in Stuttgart, headquarters of Porsche and Mercedes -Benz all the way up to the countries capital city of Berlin.
This project is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the Federal Republic of Germany, funded by the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi).
Annual GACC Apprenticeship Awards - Apply Now
Awards season is upon us! Any company with an apprenticeship program certified by the GACCs is eligible for our GACC Apprenticeship Award. Apply here by October 12 and join us for the ceremony on November 14, 2018 in Washington D.C.

If you have any questions , please contact Stefanie Andrews .
Graduation for "AdA International - Trainer Qualification"
GACC South is proud to host the first graduation for certified trainers at their headquarters in Atlanta on October, 22.

19 trainers from 15 different companies were trained during the first two courses and graduated successfully. A delegation from the German Ministry of Education, German Aerospace Center (DLR) Project Management Agency will hand over the certificates together with Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle of Georgia.

Welcome to Our New ICATT Network Companies
Vetter Pharma is a leading specialist in aseptic  filling and packaging  of compounds into  syringes ,  vials  and  cartridges . They support customers from around the world from the early stages of clinical development all the way through to market launch and beyond.
Chicago Plastic Systems. With more than 20 years of experience, CPS has become the premier choice for industrial thermoplastic fabrication. If you need custom plating  tanks ​​​​​​​, wet  fume scrubbers ​​​​​​​, processing skids, pipe fabrication or your own  unique product ​​​​​​​ manufactured, they are at your service.
Prater offers a wide range of equipment for particle size reduction, enlargement, feeding and separation such as hammer mills, fine grinders, lump breakers, classifiers, rotary airlock valve feeders and more. All Prater equipment, parts and systems are designed and built to provide years of low maintenance, reliable service.

To join the ICATT Apprenticeship Program or for more information, please contact Joshua Seeberg
or call (312) 494-2170.
Open Positions: Join the GACC Midwest Skills Initiative Team
GACC Midwest is looking for two new positions: 

  • Coordinator, Skills Initiative and ICATT Apprenticeship Program, focusing on outreach to applicants and managing relationships with referral partners. 
 
  • Manager, Skills Initiative; located in our Michigan office, focusing on apprenticeship programs in MI, especially company outreach and onboarding. 

Recap: GACCs Skills Conference & ICATT Graduation Ceremony 2018
On Thursday, September 13 during IMTS in Chicago, the ICATT Apprenticeship Program hit an important milestone: the graduation of the first cohort of apprentices (2015-2018). 
While the apprentices received their certificates from the DoL as well as from GACC Midwest, the companies that first joined the ICATT Program were recognized with the ICATT Pioneer Company Award.

In the meantime, t he ICATT Apprenticeship Program received much attention at the IMTS Smartforce Student Summit. In addition to the record number of visitors, a special guest stopped by our booth to get to know more about our program: Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner.

Earlier that day, the GACCs hosted their annual skills conference to discuss the latest updates on certified apprenticeship programs. We had great panel discussions featuring cutting-edge international speakers to exchange experiences about apprenticeship programs in the US and which challenges and advantages come with having such program.

Recap: GACC Briefs World Bank Directors on Best Practices in Apprenticeships
On September 12, the RGIT (Representative of German Industry and Trade) in Washington D.C. as well as the GACCs and GMC Mexico organized a round-table on best practices in certified apprenticeship programs at the World Bank.

The event was conducted together with the German "Executive Director Office" and Keiko Miwa, Director of Global Practice Education of the World Bank. Core elements of German, industry-driven programs were introduced to more than 80 World Bank members. The German Chambers abroad support companies in over 50 countries developing dual education structures benchmarked on the German system.
 
Recap: Fifth Cohort of MTU Apprentices Graduated
On August 15, all five of MTU’s youth apprentices graduated from their award-winning apprenticeship program in Aiken.This marks the fifth graduating class and brings the total number of students who have completed the rigorous curriculum to 23.

The program is a joint venture between GACC South and Apprenticeship Carolina. After completion, apprentices obtain the certification as Skilled Metal Workers and will now support MTU’s workforce in their plant in Aiken.

For more information on the the program, please contact Nicole Heimann .
Recap: Signing Ceremony for 2018 GA CATT Apprentices
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle hosted the 3rd annual signing day for the GA CATT Apprenticeship Program on August, 13. The ceremony was held at the State Capitol in Atlanta where 13 new apprentices signed their acceptance letter to become Advanced Manufacturing Technicians.

The Georgia Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (GA CATT) is an innovative and industry-led approach to education. Due to its outstanding quality and curriculum, the program is allowed to train apprentices under the age of 16 in manufacturing. Thus, GA CATT participants start their career as a sophomore and dual enroll in Technical College. They graduate high school with an Associate’s Degree and the German Certification. 

Recap: Discussing 2019 Apprenticeship Programs in Auburn, AL
On September 6 and 7, Nicole Heimann, Director Skills Inititative at GACC South, traveled to Auburn, Alabama to discuss German apprenticeship programs.

Arndt Siepmann, Auburn's Director of Industrial Development had initiated the visit in order to support local employers who are currently facing a widening skills-gap. Nicole Heimann met with business leaders from BORBET Alabama Inc., RAPA Rausch, Pausch LP as well as regional educational leaders and workforce experts. GACC South will launch a new manufacturing cluster in Auburn in summer 2019.

Recap: GACC South Visits Samson Controls Plant
Nicole Heimann, Director Skills Initiative at GACC South, and Hendric Jacoby from SAMSON AG in Frankfurt/Germany traveled to Baytown, Texas on August, 31 to visit SAMSON Controls Inc.

SAMSON AG in Germany has built their own workforce with apprenticeships since 1916. In Frankfurt, they train 12 different occupations, and over 75% of the around 1,000 graduates are still with the company to this day.The German headquarters asked GACC South to discuss apprenticeships together with James Evans, COO and Julie Villarreal, SHRM-CP, as a potential solution for the shortage of talent and to grow loyal employees.