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APPRENTICESHIPS
GFC MSU PARTNERS WITH DICK ANDERSON CONSTRUCTION TO OFFER APPRENTICESHIPS BY ERIN GRANGER
About two years ago, Dick Anderson Construction approached Great Falls College MSU looking for ways to train existing employees.
“It was really evident that our industry is not hurting for work, so we were having dif culty nding quali ed carpenters and laborers,” said Annie Chase, Human Re- source Manager at Dick Anderson Construction.
Great Falls College MSU’s Center for Lifelong Learning worked with Dick Anderson to build a customized train- ing program that t the company’s needs.
What started as an internal apprenticeship program has now become an of cial Montana Registered Apprentice- ship program.
“It bene ts the employees to have it registered with the state,” Chase said.
When employees complete the apprenticeship program they earn a nationally recognized industry credential through the Montana Department of Labor & Industry.
“It gets them a little bit more credit,” Chase said.
Since 1941, the Montana Registered Apprenticeship program housed within the state Department of Labor & Industry has worked with business sponsors to launch apprenticeship programs and put Montanans to work. In 2017, the state legislature voted to provide a tax credit to companies offering training programs through the Montana Registered Apprenticeship program.
Companies receive a $750 tax credit for each new ap- prentice or $1,500 for apprentices who are veterans.
Apprenticeships are a time-honored tradition of passing on craftsmanship, knowledge, and skills to the next gen- eration in the workplace.
“Today, apprenticeships are putting Montanans to work and expanding talent pipelines for businesses across the state,” said Department of Labor & Industry Commission- er Galen Hollenbaugh.
Apprenticeships help grow Montana’s workforce, while also supporting local economies. In 2015, the average wage of a registered apprentice was almost $38,000, which is higher than the earnings of a typical working college student. After completing their training program, apprentices go on to earn signi cantly higher wages.
“Apprenticeship programs add to Montana’s human capital, which promotes economic growth,” Hollenbaugh said. “Economies with greater human capital grow more quickly, are more likely to innovate, and are more nimble in responding to economic needs.”
Dick Anderson Construction’s apprenticeship program has been a great success for the company. With the help of Great Falls College MSU, they piloted the program in Helena and have since expanded it to Bozeman. They’ll
start offering apprenticeships in Great Falls in April and hope to eventually expand to Missoula and Billings.
“They wanted a way to get more of their employees ed- ucated without having to leave the workforce and go to school,” said Heather Palermo, Director of the Center for Lifelong Learning at Great Falls College MSU.
Great Falls College MSU worked closely with Dick Ander- son Construction to develop a training program that t the company’s speci c needs.
“We had to take the training to them,” said Joel Sims, Trades Division Director at Great Falls College MSU.
Every week, a GFC MSU instructor travels to Helena and Bozeman where he teaches a classroom training session for employees. Employees then work with Dick Anderson Construction supervisors to do hands-on training and assessments on their job sites.
“We focus the classroom sessions on what the students are working on at the job site,” Palermo said.
For example, if they are building stairs, the classroom training will teach them the proper technique for stair construction.
For a training program to become Montana Registered Apprenticeship certi ed it must include 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and related instruction, which is more formalized instruction, often in a classroom.
Dick Anderson Construction could have hired its own trainers to offer the related instruction, but it made more sense for them to partner with a two-year college like Great Falls College MSU.
“Two-year colleges are positioned in a way that we already have the structure and materials to offer the related instruction,” Palermo said.
Palermo and Sims worked with Dick Anderson to make sure the curriculum matched what they wanted their employees to learn.
Apprenticeship continued on page 22
Photo courtesy of Great Falls College MSU
@MontanaChamber
December 2018 ||| Eye on Business
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