Apprenticeship Summit: Keeping Jobs in Southern California

Apprenticeship Summit: Keeping Jobs in Southern California

Los Angeles Valley College hosts first-ever roundtable to assist local manufacturers

(Van Nuys, Calif. – October 9, 2008)
Here’s one bright story to focus on in the midst of a dreadful economy and skyrocketing unemployment. It’s old-fashioned and we don’t hear much about it anymore. It’s certainly worth a listen.

It’s about jobs NOT being lost to China. It’s about developing careers in Southern California through apprenticeship training programs in the manufacturing industry. It’s preparing deserving citizens for living-wage jobs who will in turn give back to our economy.

Déjà vu? No, it’s not the 1950’s. It’s Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) at the forefront as they launch their first-ever “Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Summit” where business owners will learn about how they can benefit by developing such programs. To be held on campus October 17, the Summit’s objective will be to revitalize a much needed apprenticeship and training program for San Fernando Valley-based manufacturing companies.

The roundtable discussion will address how manufacturing firms can set up long-term training activities aimed at creating the next generation of highly skilled manufacturing employees. The event will provide solutions to the longstanding dilemma of finding qualified workers to enter the precision machining industry.

“Our current job market and the dismal availability of skilled labor reflect thirty years of neglect in promoting apprenticeship programs,” says David Goodreau, Chairman of the Small Manufacturer’s Association of California (SMAC). “Training is the lifeblood to our industry. Apprenticeships provide a structure that makes training work.”

SMAC is a valuable partner to LAVC along with other industry representatives such as the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) and the Small Manufacturers Institute (SMI). These organizations have worked diligently to keep machine shop training programs alive.

Randy Jones, President of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of NTMA and owner of Xceliron Inc., a Chatsworth-based tooling manufacturing company agrees, “Our industry is running out of good employees. It’s up to us to support these programs to bring in the next generation of manufacturing technicians and future small business owners.”

Jones has first-hand experience. A graduate of the Chatsworth High School Metal Shop program, Jones began his career by serving in a four-year formal apprenticeship with Rocketdyne in Canoga Park in the early 1990’s. In addition to becoming a master machinist, Jones contends that the training provided him the experience he needed to open his own business. “This is why I strongly support apprenticeship programs,” says Jones.

“After 9-11, we saw a drop in the number of apprentices indentured by industry. However, we currently cannot keep up with demand for Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machinist trainees and technicians,” says Roberto Gutierrez, Program Manager for LAVC’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Institute (AMTI). He feels the time is ripe to encourage young folks to enter the trade. Gutierrez concedes that the Summit will not solve industry’s problems overnight, but it is a good place to start. “In spite of the downturn in many fields, the aerospace industry is still vibrant.”

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, which specializes in producing the Space Shuttle engine, will attend the Summit, along with 20 other manufacturers. The Summit will be moderated by Marty Mechsner, President of SMI. Mechsner also is General Manager and Chief Engineer with Industrial Metal Supply’s Laser Division, and served on the Southern California Tool & Die, Mold, and Machinists & Metal Working Trades Apprenticeship Committee for over 7 years.

Haas Automation is the largest manufacturer of CNC machines and has had great success in their apprenticeship program, will share insights about their Master Apprenticeship Program at the Summit. Panelists will also include representatives from the State of California’s Division of Apprenticeship Standards and the United Auto Workers (UAW), and other training professionals.
LAVC has been serving as the education and training side of local manufacturing firms for almost two decades. AMTI is their most recent program which is funded by a $1.5 million grant from the DOL. It has provided incumbent worker training to over 500 Valley-based employees, along with training and job placement to over 250 displaced and dislocated workers since 2006.
In addition, AMTI provides career awareness to local high school students via the “Manufacturing Technologies Laboratory” – a forty-foot manufacturing trailer on wheels. In conjunction with the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley and HAAS Automation in Oxnard, the high-tech trailer provides demonstrations and training activities in the areas of CNC machining and programming.

LAVC is planning a follow-up, complementary summit for Spring 2009 which will be dedicated to students interested in becoming an apprentice. LAVC is a California state-recognized facility for apprenticeship programs in the manufacturing industry as identified by the NTMA of San Fernando Valley. There are only two other such facilities in Southern California, located in Los Angeles and Orange County. Manufacturing technology programs offer a wide range of training to students and job seekers and can lead to either an occupational certificate or a two-year Associate’s degree.
The Advanced Manufacturing Summit and AMTI are managed by LAVC’s Job Training office which offers one of the most successful and ground-breaking programs on campus. Celebrating its 14th anniversary, the office was established in 1994 as a partner with the Job Training Parternship Act. Recognized by the State Board of Governors, the Workforce Investment Boards, and the City of Los Angeles mayor’s office, Job Training has trained and placed more than 12,000 job seekers in new positions while providing skills and training upgrades to over 10,000 incumbent workers. Job Training boasts an 87% placement rate throughout the years.
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Interview and photography opportunities can be arranged through the Communications Office of Los Angeles Valley College. Please contact Jennifer Fong, Public Relations Specialist, Los Angeles Valley College, at 818. 947.2433; fongjc@lavc.edu for more information.

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