
Celebrating a successful Apprenticeship Program at Beach Mold and Tool, Inc. are (l to r)Maynard Stowe, Department of Labor- Office of Apprenticeship, Joey Sims, Beach Mold and Tool HR Manager, Bryan Floyd, Apprentice, Edward (POP) Clements, Apprentice, Clarence Logan, Apprentice, David Batliner, Beach Mold and Tool VP of Operations, Mike Brockway, Beach Mold and Tool Operations Manager, Kelly Arnold, Apprenticeship Coordinator at Southside Virginia Community College.
In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, training skilled workers can be a challenge. For Beach Mold and Tool, Inc., located in Emporia, VA, this challenge was especially true. The company, which is currently expanding, was struggling to find qualified industrial maintenance technicians. With the current manufacturing boom, addressing this issue and formulating a solution was paramount.
For years, trade jobs were not promoted as viable career choices. While this is one factor, another contributor to the deficiency is an aging workforce entering retirement.
Joey Sims, Human Resource Manager, weighed his options and chose to look internally at a training strategy for the skilled worker shortage. To be successful, Joey collaborated with Southside Virginia Community College (SVCC) to implement an industrial maintenance apprenticeship program. The company selected employees who were willing to attend classes one night per week at the Emporia training facility located at the Southside Virginia Education Center (SVEC). Through hands-on lab work and instruction, the employees are mastering electrical and mechanical concepts. The hard work recently paid off for three employees as they proudly received their machine operator apprenticeship certificate.
David Batliner, Vice President of Operations, for Beach Mold and Tool, congratulated each recipient and spoke proudly of the level of commitment the group had displayed. Speaking from experience, he noted that working full time and attending school is demanding but the rewards are life changing.
Evidence of the employees’ level of commitment occurred right after Maynard Stowe, Department of Labor, presented the certificates at the apprenticeship awards ceremony. Each employee signed up to embark on the next level of training as an Industrial Maintenance Technician.
This is confirmation that the apprenticeship model is the perfect training program to fix the shortage of skilled workers, stated, Kelly Arnold, apprenticeship coordinator for SVCC. When you combine on-the-job training with a few educational classes, the results are always positive and life changing.
Being able to train locally began when Dr. Chad Patton, Dean, for SVCC, started offering electrical classes at the SVEC in Emporia. Recently, SVCC collaborated with CCAM for a GO Virginia grant to outfit a mechatronics’ lab for workforce training. This lab has simulators that replicate a real-world scenario in an industrial facility. Classes are available every semester to fill the skills trade shortage.
Apprenticeship is the solution. Therefore, while others are sounding the alarm of a skilled labor shortage, Beach Mold and Tool is actively taking steps necessary to fill the gap, said Arnold.
If you are interested in finding out more about the programs, contact SVCC’s office in Emporia or visit our website, Southside.edu.
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