Several employees at Jasper Engines and Transmissions in Willow Springs and Arlee Home Fashions in West Plains recently completed U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) registered apprenticeship programs at Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP), the area sponsor for DOL registered apprenticeship programs.

Using a $50,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, the university worked with department officials and area manufacturers to develop the registered apprenticeship programs to provide training for positions that are hard to fill due to technology advancements, university officials said. They targeted the programs for positions in advanced industrial maintenance and manufacturing management and supervision based on input from the manufacturers.

Officials at Jasper and Arlee took advantage of the new programs and offered the apprenticeship opportunities to their employees. Utilizing academic instruction and on-the-job training with mentors at each company, the employees trained in various areas of manufacturing management and maintenance and met all competencies needed to earn the DOL credentials.

Eight employees from each business completed the apprenticeships last fall and received DOL registered apprenticeship awards.

Positive results

Officials at both industries said they were very pleased with the results of the program, saying it will positively impact their operations moving forward.

“The registered apprenticeship program through MSU-WP has allowed us to continue to develop strong employees internally for hard-to-fill positions like maintenance and leadership,” Jasper Plant Superintendent Matt Gregory said. “The flexibility of this program allows us to have input in the curriculum that our associates were receiving.”

“This has been great for our associates,” added Jasper People Services Representative Ingrid McCallister. “Garland Barton and the MSU-WP staff worked to provide classes our associates needed to further their careers at Jasper.”

Arlee Plant Manager Joni Brege said the apprenticeship program allowed them to “make things better for our group while working as a group. MSU-WP made sure we could learn to the best of our ability. We made friends and no one was afraid to participate or speak up at any time. That made it such a great environment for our group.”

Garland Barton, coordinator of corporate education and business engagement at MSU-WP, said the apprenticeship programs helped the university achieve its mission to provide accessible, affordable and quality educational opportunities to the area.

“Working with industries in our area and their employees to increase knowledge, enhance skills and advance their careers is precisely what we wanted to do to support and enrich our communities,” Barton said.