Page 18 - Helena Chamber Spring 2018 B2B

DICK ANDERSON CONSTRUCTION APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
BY DAWN ZEHR
ANNIE CHASE
In a comprehensive effort to invest in its employees and expand its work force from within, Dick Anderson Construction has recently initiated a Certi ed Carpentry Apprenticeship Program for its employees in Montana. Developed by Human Resource Manager Annie Chase and launched in 2015, the Apprenticeship Program will
be o cially registered with the Montana Department of Labor and Industry as a Montana Certi ed Carpentry Program in the coming month. Currently there are 21 employees enrolled in this four- level program, which is presently offered to all Dick Anderson Construction employees. It consists of four levels, each completed
in approximately nine months. There is course work in addition
to hands-on labs, which are
conducted by DAC superintendents in collaboration with instructors from Great Falls College. The apprenticeship program is utilizing a partnership with Great Falls College, which hired two external instructors to teach a variety of courses speci cally for the program. The two entities worked together
to tailor the program to its unique needs. The instructors travel to Helena and Bozeman, where the classes take place every other Friday afternoon. The program
is expanding into Great Falls this spring, with plans for future expansion to Missoula.
Employees who participate
in the apprenticeship program broaden and enhance their skills and knowledge in a range of areas over the duration of the program, such as oor and wall systems, basic stair layout, commercial drawings, thermal and moisture protection, roo ng applications, vertical
and horizontal formwork, and fundamentals of crew leadership,
to name a few. Upon completion
of each level, the employee has the potential to earn a pay increase. DAC covers the majority of the costs for this program; the employee pays a $100 fee to Great Falls College for books and materials for each level.
The Apprenticeship Program is a way for Dick Anderson Construction to invest in its own employees by helping them advance their skills and knowledge in the construction industry. It also offers an opportunity for DAC laborers in the
eld to advance to a Journeyman Carpenter level, and for those employees to then move into a Foreman and Superintendent role. The program allows a pathway for DAC employees to pursue their goals and expand their knowledge while maintaining their regular hours of paid work.
A separate initiative of Dick Anderson Construction involves an opportunity for Helena’s
high school students to learn construction skills through an internship, in collaboration with the high school carpentry class. Currently there is one Helena High student intern who works closely with a DAC Superintendent every week day for two hours.
In the past two years, the high school internship program has played a signi cant role in guiding the careers of at least three interns; one later came to work full-time with DAC, another shadowed a Project Manager and went on to study Construction Engineering Technology at MSU, and a third is currently employed by DAC and enrolled in the Apprenticeship Program.
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