Workforce: Finders Keepers: People & Companies

Many shop owners and managers bellyache about the difficulty of attracting skilled workers.

Quit complaining and commit to a German-style, dual-training apprenticeship program so you can grow your own talent. That was one piece of advice offered by Mario Kratsch, director of the skills initiative for the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest Inc., Chicago. He was speaking at an informational event about the dual vocational training program offered by GACC Midwest’s Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT). Hermle Machine Co. LLC, which has committed to the program, hosted the event March 2 at its Franklin, Wis., facility to highlight the program’s benefits.

Modeled after Germany’s apprenticeship system and billed as a company-driven approach to technical training, GACC Midwest developed ICATT in 2015. The organization is seeking other Wisconsin manufacturers to join Hermle Machine so the program can successfully launch this fall.

“We need a critical mass of 10 to 12 students in order for a technical college to say, ‘Yes, we will provide those classes,'” said Manuel Merkt, vice president of operations for the machine tool builder.

This number is needed because the qualifying apprentices in the 3-year program attend classes as a group to earn a customized associate degree. They also work at the participating manufacturers that hired them to receive training tailored to each company’s needs. Depending on the program, an apprentice might attend school 3 days a week and work 2 days or attend classes in, say, 8-week blocks, with each followed by a multiple-week block of work.