“Many years ago, there was one lone person on the hill dancing to the tune of apprenticeship; that person was Tim Hebert.” stated Andrew Cortes in introducing the Chief Managed Services Officer, Carousel Industries/ CEO Founder Trilix Tech and facilitator of Building Futures ‘Tech Talent through Apprenticeship Showcase.’ He went on to add, “Through Tim’s enthusiasm and commitment, the Registered Apprenticeship model has proven to be an effective approach to addressing the needs of the IT industry in Rhode Island and nationwide.”  Scott Jensen, Director, RI DOL and Brian Hull, Director of Economic Opportunity, City of Providence, joined three leading RI tech companies in sharing how the apprenticeship model ensures that residents have the skills and opportunities to have meaningful, well-paying careers that support Rhode Island’s industries’ demands.

Jamie Boughman, Technical Director, Managed Services at Carousel Industries shared his thoughts on the benefits of apprenticeship, “Apprentices are working and creating value for the company within two to four weeks.” Jonathan Buchanan, IT Operations Manager, Claflin Co./CME added, “In technology, we can get set in our ways; interacting with apprentices brings in new ideas and passion.”

Apprenticeship is a ‘win-win’ as companies benefit from untapped, diverse talent and apprentices are able to ‘earn while they learn’. Vertikal6 Apprentice & Panelist, John Loven, spoke to the personal impact of Apprenticeship, “When I saw the apprenticeship opportunity, I literally knocked on the door and asked to speak to the hiring manager. Two weeks later, I was taking calls, working tickets, and learning new things every day on the job.”  Tim Hebert summarized, “Apprenticeships are so powerful because they can take people from a variety of different backgrounds and really change the trajectory of their careers and their earning potential.  Talk about changing lives.”

The Tech Talent through Apprenticeship Showcase was hosted by Building Futures on November 15 in celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2018. 

Senator Jack Reed joins Building Futures in Celebrating RI’s veterans

On November 9^th, Building Futures, the organizational home of Apprenticeship RI, partnered with Senator Jack Reed to recognize and honor RI’s veteran apprentices. The Registered Apprenticeship model is demonstrating significant success in ensuring meaningful and high quality employment for veterans, while also addressing employer and industry needs. This heartfelt panel enabled the sharing of best practices from both the employer and veteran perspectives.

Senator Jack Reed praised Rhode Island for its commitment to the apprenticeship model – both in traditional construction trades and in non-traditional industries.  Statewide, there are 1800 Registered Apprentices, including 114 veterans.

Andrew Cortes, Building Futures’ Executive Director, noted, “We have seen that Apprenticeship is a particularly good fit for transitioning service members because it is paid employment from day one – providing skill development and wage advancement within a short period of time.” Jayleen Roman, US Coast Guard Veteran, underscored this point, “The Maritime Pipefitting and Welding Apprenticeship at General Dynamics Electric Boat enables me to combine post-secondary education and full-time work with the full support of my employer. It allows me to support my family and continue to serve my country.”

Employers benefit as much as the veterans. Kasim Yarn, Director or the RI Office of Veterans Affairs added, “Veterans bring a host of success factors including communication, responsibility, and teamwork that transfer to apprenticeship.”  In fact, at AstroNova, Inc. 47% of the apprentices in its new Electronics Technician Apprenticeship are veterans.

The panelists were united on the importance on promoting the Registered Apprenticeship model to Veterans. Director Yarn emphasized, “Veterans deserve good, solid civilian careers; the Registered Apprenticeship model ensures this outcome. Veterans can use their G.I. Bill Benefits for apprenticeships and they can also get credit for prior learning based on military service, accelerating program completion. It’s a winning combination for veterans, employers and our country.”

In Celebration of National Apprenticeship Week, Building Futures is showcasing important work employers in Rhode Island have been doing to develop new tech talent in their companies through Registered Apprenticeship.

Please join us.  November 15, 2018 at 8 am

Building Futures | Apprenticeship Rhode Island
One Acorn street, Providence, RI

It all started with a staffing challenge.  How could Providence Community Health Centers (PCHC) develop highly skilled Medical Assistants who are fully proficient in delivery of care at every practice site? With the support of the Governor’s Workforce Board Non-Trade Apprenticeship Development Grant, PCHC brought a team together comprised of Human Resources, Operations, Education & Training, SEIU1199 delegates and current Medical Assistants.  In short, Rhode Island College will provide related instruction leading to national certification.  Medical Assistants will rotate to different sites including: Adult Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics, Podiatry and Optometry during their on-the-job learning.  They will be supported by a Preceptor at each rotation with the goal of becoming fully competent at each practice site.  Successful completion of the apprenticeship program will result in a wage increase and a certification of completion from the State of Rhode Island.

On October 11, PCHC launched their Apprenticeship program with a Celebration Breakfast.   PCHC CEO, Merrill Thomas recognized the four apprentices selected as well as the internal team of PCHC professionals and SEIU1199 partners and delegates.  Andrew Cortés, Executive Director of Building Futures | Apprenticeship RI, spoke to the commitment to community that PCHC has demonstrated, and the career path that apprenticeship represents.  If you have lost your path while hiking, then you know the fear that comes with losing your way.  Like a path in the woods, Apprenticeship provides the space and direction to reach your career goal – even when you encounter obstacles along the way.”

PCHC’s Apprenticeship program would not be possible without generous funding from the Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP), a national labor/management organization that promotes innovation and quality in healthcare career education.  Thanks also to PVD HealthWorks for their role in supporting a trained Medical Assistant cohort to back-fill Apprentices’ time spent in training.

What do you get when you match outstanding client service with skilled craftsmanship?  Founded by Andy Tyska in 1998, Bristol Marine sets themselves apart by being customer focused and delivering a personalized level of service based on clients’ needs.  Maintaining this organizational philosophy requires a dedicated and trained workforce; apprenticeship is a natural fit.

One of the key roles in a boat yard, and perhaps hardest to fill, is the Marine Service Manager position, which provides an important intermediary role between the client, boat yard team and marina staff.  “The biggest challenge in hiring someone new for the role was fitting into our hard-work, client-focused culture. It was always a gamble.” explains Patrick McLoughlin, Vice President of Operations.

It turns out, they have quite a bit in common when it comes to Apprenticeship. Both “ecosystems,” as Governor Raimondo put it, closely resemble each other when it comes to vocational education and training systems.  “Both put employers in the driver’s seat – letting employers identify their own skills needs and develop their own job-training solutions.”

Apprenticeship RI is pleased to welcome RI Heat Treating as the latest manufacturer to embrace Apprenticeship in Rhode Island.  At the referral of Polaris MEP, Apprenticeship RI was introduced to Mary and Bob Emerson, owners of RI Heat Treating, who were looking for a way to train reliable employees to the highest level with an eye towards passing along their business someday.

Heat Treating is the process in which a metal is heated to a certain temperature and then cooled in a particular manner to alter its internal structure for obtaining a desired physical property.  This process often improves mechanical properties needed for many industries such as automotive, electronics and machine tooling.  “Heat Treating is really a science.” says Mary Emerson.

Bob, a nationally recognized expert in Heat Treating, learned the business at age 16 from his family and is now interested in passing his knowledge to the next generation.  Mary is a certified k-12 teacher and has taught in Rhode Island for 28 years.  Mary has also collaborated with CCRI to customize manufacturing curriculum for adult learners and spearheaded the creation of a job training center in Quonset Industrial Park.  Mary has designed an in-house curriculum to cover the job-related classroom training required for Apprenticeship.

“We are proud of our employees, Dan and Efrain.  We interviewed a lot of candidates before finding the “right” people who were looking for a commitment to a career, not just a job.  Ideally we wanted to hire employees who shared our work ethic and wanted to learn a skill through their life’s work.   “The Apprenticeship model fits our work environment and values.  It allows us to clearly define & measure on the job skills while passing down our knowledge.  Best of all, upon successful achievement of competencies, our employees will earn an Apprenticeship credential that is recognized by the State of Rhode Island.”

It is often said that to implement and operate a great Apprenticeship Program, it takes a village.  That statement was evident on Thursday, June 21^st when Women & Infants Hospital and SEIU 1199NE celebrated educational milestones through Registered Apprenticeship in Medical Coding and for the Medical Assistants in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Care Center (OGCC ).  Training completed by Medical Interpreters was also celebrated.

These Apprenticeship programs represent ongoing collaboration between Care New England, Women & Infants Hospital and SEIU 1199NE.  The Healthcare Career Advancement Program provided technical support.  Rhode Island College, Libman Education and UMass Medical School provided training.  Real Jobs RI assisted with funding. Apprenticeship Rhode Island was proud to work alongside such excellent partners.

In-Patient Medical Coder Apprentices at Women & Infants have been enrolled in Certified Coder Specialist (CCS) training to prepare them for the rigorous five-hour CCS certification exam. Medical Coders will complete the coursework in August, prepared to take the CCS exam in fall.  While enrolled, they are also learning on the job.   Through the skilled mentorship of Donna Sprague, Kathy Rickard and Leslie Lamar, apprentices will be trained in hands-on learning while they earn paycheck.   Jen Couri, Director of Coding at Care New England, noted the Registered Apprenticeship program has brought the team closer together. Importantly, the bill-hold is nearly ten times lower than before the apprenticeship was established.

In the Obstetrics and Gynecology Care Center (OGCC), current CNAs were selected as Apprentices, now upskilling to become Medical Assistants.  All eight Apprentices completed a 147-hour certification program through Rhode Island College.  This was a huge achievement for apprentices working full-time, plus taking classes with weekly reading and tests, along with a research project presentation.  Supervisor Melissa Maher could not be more proud of their dedication and persistence.  She was also moved by the way they worked as a team to help each other succeed.  Pascal Thomas, their beloved RIC instructor, will return for several more sessions during their on the job learning.  Medical Assistants are expected to complete their apprenticeship program this fall.