Sara Weissman and Colleen Flaherty at Inside Higher Ed report on Apprenticeship training efforts at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) where Tesla Employees are being trained in advanced manufacturing skills – year-round. And while Tesla itself may be polarizing, the growth of the program is undeniable: In 2023, TMCC trained 85 Tesla Apprentices; Today, completers number 1,000-plus and growing – quickly. “They choose the courses from our catalog à la carte, and we train their Workers five days a week, all day long, in four-week increments,” TMCC President Jeffrey Alexander said of Tesla. Apprentices “come to us, usually thirty to thirty-five per cohort, and we train them in the basics of automated production, programmable logic control and electro-mechanical systems, so that they are able to get to work at the Gigafactory and really be very capable from day one.” The Manufacturing Development Program is a Registered Apprenticeship funded by the U.S. Labor Department’s Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant. Intended for certain high-demand occupations that offer above-average pay and benefits, the grant covers participants’ tuition and the cost of instruction. Program completers earn a Tesla Advanced Manufacturing Certification and 11 credits to put toward a degree, should they seek one. Starting in the Fall, Apprentices will earn the College’s new Industrial Operations Skills Certificate. Such programs are challenging stereotypes about Apprenticeships – namely that they’re only in construction, an earn-and-learn catchall for traditionally Apprenticeable occupations such as Bricklayer, Plumber, Carpenter and Electrician. In integrating robotics, automation, machining and logistics, the Manufacturing Development Program is a bridge to understanding how apprenticeships are evolving to support some of the Nation’s fastest-growing industries – including advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology and other business services. “Apprenticeships are advanced, they are high-tech. They are a very viable strategy for employers to find the right talent that they keep complaining they can’t find,” said Steve Jurch, who serves as Associate Vice President of the Association of Community College Trustees’ Center for Policy and Practice.
To Read This Apprenticeship And Training Labor News Story In Its Entirety, Go To: The Apprenticeship Glow-Up
Artwork Courtesy Of Inside Higher Ed.