BLUFFTON, OH (WLIO) - GROB Systems Inc. outside of Bluffton brings in apprentice classes every year to train and work their way up to be full employees of the manufacturing center. Our Katie Honigford spoke with the apprenticeship training supervisor to get a look into what kinds of training these apprentices receive as part of our "Growing STEM" series.
For GROB Systems Inc., bringing in trainees as part of their four-year apprenticeship program is a great way to help to continue to grow their workforce. Those with the manufacturer say that a good percentage of the new employees that are hired by GROB start in the same place - as apprentices, getting on-the-job training and a tuition-free college education to boot, through an ongoing partnership between GROB and Rhodes State College.
"We really have a hands-on approach to things; our motto is 'learning by doing', so we're giving them that chance to learn what they do at school hands-on, do it practical, make the mistakes that are inevitably going to come, and then learn from those mistakes and hopefully not repeat them," said Mark Reed, Apprenticeship Training Supervisor for GROB Systems Inc.
While on track through the apprenticeship program, these students will figure out what path they would like to pursue at GROB, whether that's mechanical or electrical - giving them the option to decide what path works best for them.
"For the first few months that they're here, they learn both mechanical and electrical skill sets and the basics of both of those because when we're working at home, when we're doing things on our own, we don't do things that are based upon industrial and high-tech things," Reed said. "We're talking about maybe electrical work at home or maybe working on a car, we're not getting into the levels of precision and levels of electrical training that we might need here. We let them all experience a little bit of that so that they can then make a decision, whether they're training in the mechanical field or that electrical field."
The apprentices will also work in several different departments with experienced employees, and work their way up to receiving a degree from Rhodes State and earning their "Certificate of Completion of Apprenticeship".
After that, they're placed among the ranks as a regular employee for the manufacturer - and those with grob say that this program allows for a streamlined process to help these future employees have an easier time starting in the manufacturing industry.
"Learning the technical skills that go with everything and applying those skills for several years before you even move into those design roles and things like that are going to give you such an advantage on peers that maybe did go to a four-year school and learn that engineering straight out of high school - those individuals have to go through a long learning curve seeing the real deal and working with things in theory that they've never touched from a technical role, so it gives apprentices a big advantage," said Reed.
For a full list of requirements and how to apply for the apprenticeship program, you can log on to https://careers.grobgroup.com/grobsystems and click on the apprenticeship program tab
