IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1523888
IPC COMMUNITY 77 SUMMER 2024 What is the makeup of your apprenticeship program? We enrolled 27 apprentices to begin training in early March; 20 completed Level 1 online train- ing, and their OJT is ongoing in production areas. We anticipate adding another 20 employees in Q3 or Q4 this year. Our workforce largely consists of women, and many are older than 40 years of age. We have a mixture of ethnicities. Do you work with local high schools to develop a talent pipeline? Yes. We partner with the two local high schools so that students interested in manufacturing can succeed upon graduation. The high schools currently have students taking classes in manu- facturing and are exploring pre-apprenticeship training to support our needs. Each high school has voiced interest in sending a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher to receive CIT training, which would support their Manufacturing, Industrial Technology Main- tenance (IMT) and Electrical Systems Industry Based Certification pathways, as soldering is one of the components in the certification. The program would strengthen the high schools' CCMR requirements and support stu- dents seeking employment in manufacturing. Students could potentially earn their certifi- cation and, upon graduation, be eligible for employment. How important has this experience been for DETEX? As the DETEX human resources manager, I believe identifying and partnering with organi- zations supporting employee development and recruitment is critical to our continued growth and success. In addition to our partnerships with IPC, TSTC, and the New Braunfels' director of workforce and industry through our chamber of commerce, we partner with the local Texas Workforce Com- mission, which coordinates educational training and hiring efforts between DETEX and individu- als who are interested in taking classes in manu- facturing and want to work in the industry. They assist us with developing a pipeline of qualified new hires in our industry. What do these partnerships provide? Each partnership provides unique support in our efforts to complete the apprentice program, as we will need to have two to three Certified IPC Trainers (CITs) so that the apprentices can earn their certification. IPC can offer this training and local organiza- tions in New Braunfels rather than traveling to a training center in Dallas, which would be more expensive and difficult for the number of employ- ees entering the apprenticeship program. TSTC has identified the need to have two of its instructors become CITs to certify students while in school. This further supports having CITs in our area and fully trained students and/ or employees. DETEX looks forward to our continued collab- oration with these organizations as they are fully engaged in the community and building a pipe- line for local workforce needs. DETEX specializes in designing, engineering and manufactur- ing security products, including security door devices for retail, hospitals, and schools and turn- stiles for airports. They make components that are part of the final assembly and have started making circuit boards internally instead of outsourcing.