South Bend 'Apprentice' offers fast-track to jobs
High school diploma, GED not required
By MARGARET FOSMOE
Tribune Staff Writer
SOUTH BEND — Sparks fall to the floor and dance around the feet of Eric McKinstry.
With a heavy mask protecting his face, McKinstry, 37, of South Bend, was perfecting his skills in a welding laboratory on a hot day this summer at The Apprentice Academy, a private, nonprofit job-training school.
The Apprentice Academy was founded as a pilot program in 2007 by businessman Steven Hartz, owner of Value Tool & Engineering Inc., who said it was difficult to find properly trained prospective workers for his company.
"Our goal is to give people viable skills so they can get back in the work force as soon as possible," Hartz said.
"I would recommend it," McKinstry said of the school. He was laid off from a molding company, and previously worked for an RV company that closed. Academy courses are hands-on and the instructors are eager to work with students, he said.
By late July, McKinstry had completed training in facility maintenance and welding. He's applying for jobs at apartment complexes and hotels.
The Apprentice Academy operates in cooperation with Vincennes and Purdue universities. Students can earn college credits, but that isn't a priority for most of those enrolled.
The main goal is getting retrained and back in the work force.
The academy had more than 60 students enrolled this summer. The school offers training in metalworking, welding, industrial maintenance, manufacturing and information technology. This fall, phlebotomy, medical transcription and certified nursing assistant training will be added.
A high school diploma or GED is not required to enroll. For students seeking a diploma or GED, the academy works with the adult education program of the South Bend Community School Corp.
The academy operates in two buildings in South Bend's airport industrial park, as well as a program site in Plymouth. If student demand is evident, Hartz plans to expand to Elkhart County and other counties. He said employers as far away as Fort Wayne have expressed interest.
The academy accepts high school students who want to learn machine tool trades, and helps retrain adult workers who have been laid off from their fields — including many former RV workers. Many of the adult students completed high school, but didn't earn a college degree.
The Apprentice Academy has a partnership with The Crossing, an alternative school in Elkhart that serves some South Bend teens. South Bend students can get their vocational training at the academy's South Bend site.
Leif Raderstorf, 39, of Bremen, was laid off last fall from Monaco Coach in Elkhart County after 16 years on the job.
"I'm looking to start my own handyman business," said Raderstorf, who this summer completed the academy's industrial maintenance course. By late July, he was working part-time for a fire-and-water damage restoration firm in South Bend.
"This is a good place to come," he said. "They want you to learn."
Raderstorf said he explored enrolling in area colleges, but most of them wanted him to take English and math classes, and he wanted hands-on training to move quickly back into the work force.
His wife also was laid off. She returned to school for training as a dental assistant, but hasn't found a full-time job. The couple has four children. "It's been tough, but we're managing," Raderstorf said.
Academy classes generally take 10 to 12 weeks to complete. The training often is covered by state and federal grants. Many of the students learned about the academy at the WorkOne office.
No job placement statistics are available, because the academy is just starting to track that data on its graduates.
Hartz himself benefited from a non-traditional education. An Adams High School graduate, he spent six years in the U.S. Air Force, then completed a tool and die apprenticeship through a trade school. In 1998, he founded Value Tool & Engineering, which now employs more than 40 workers.
Hartz said he always had trouble finding skilled workers to fill job openings. "I found a very large hole in career training for adults," Hartz said.
Some laid-off workers enroll at traditional colleges, but face barriers, Hartz said.
They often are required to take entrance exams and remedial classes before starting hands-on courses, he said. "There are too many barriers. It's like somebody is standing at the top of a ladder with a baseball bat saying, 'You can't come up here,' " said Hartz, who has hired two academy graduates to work at his company.
Hartz talked with owners of more than a dozen other nearby industrial businesses, and they expressed the same desire for trained employees.
There is a need for the kind of training the academy offers, said Paul Bonin, president and owner of Bertrand Products Inc., which makes aircraft components and assemblies.
Bertrand has had employee layoffs in recent months, but Bonin said he hopes to be able to bring back workers and hire more as the economy improves.
"In the high schools, all they push is four-year colleges," Bonin said. The key to good workers is recruitment and proper training, he said.
Academy classes generally are limited in 10 to 20 students, and training focuses on jobs in demand in this region.
Rick Spears, 50, of Elkhart, was laid off last fall from Coachmen Industries. He enrolled in the academy in December and finished in July. He's hoping to find a job in welding or machine repair.
The academy's course of studies is intense, said Spears. "It's a lot of studying. It's like a full-time job," he said.
The job market remains slow in Elkhart County, and Spears is thinking of moving to Evansville.
The academy provided a good program, Spears said, although he wishes he had a little more time in some of the classes.
Ron Lewis, 54, of Elkhart, enrolled after being laid off in December from the supply side of the RV industry. He had worked in the industry almost 20 years.
"Something I've always wanted to do is maintenance work. This is a pretty good fit for me," he said of the training. "This school is more hands-on and more real world."
http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20090802/NEWS01/908020306 |
.jpg)