National Apprenticeship Week Event held at JJC’s Main Campus on Nov 14

The Main Campus of the Junior Joliet College hosted a National Apprenticeship Week Event on Thursday, November 14, 2019. The event was attended by more than 40 companies from various industry sectors. The companies from the manufacturing, culinary arts, hospitality, landscaping, and healthcare sectors participated in the event.

The representatives of the governmental organizations including the US Department of Labor (DOL), the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), and other local workforce boards visited the event. Tangled Roots Brewing Company and Logoplaste signed the apprenticeship program at JJC during the event. The companies will start their classroom instructions in January.

Scott Struchen, the Chief Operations Officer at Tangled Roots Brewing Company, said that their company was participating in such programs for showing the career paths to the employees in the hospitality industry. He added, “If you can show your employees that you are invested in them, you have a better chance of retention.”

Ben Hutchinson, the operations manager of Metalstamp, Inc., shared his perspective in the event. He said that the apprenticeship programs helped his company in building a loyal workforce. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity presented an official proclamation from JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, to the companies participated in the event and JJC. The Workforce Investment Board of Will County and Workforce Board of Grundy Livingston and Kankakee County were the partners of the JJC in the event.

The DOL stated that the apprenticeship programs allowed the job creators to develop and prepare their future workforce. The apprenticeship programs are beneficial for both job creators and job seekers. The profitability and productivity of the organizations improve through such programs. Amy Murphy of JJC said, “The goal of our event was to raise awareness.”