By: Cindy DeWire, Director of Apprenticeship, ABC Keystone

ABC Keystone was proud to welcome over 150 new apprentices and company reps to the New Student Orientation on September 7. I shared with the students the value of ABC and the importance of students and companies working together to ensure that all registered apprenticeship requirements are achieved. The two main components of registered apprenticeship are Related Technical Instruction (RTI) – requirement of 144 hours per year/level and submission of On-the-Job-Training Hours (OJT) of 2,000 hours per year. It is exciting to welcome new apprentices and several new companies to apprenticeship for the 2022-2023 school year.

All returning apprentices have started their classes and are ready to continue their education path in their chosen career. It is great to welcome all apprentices back to another year and see their continued growth and learning. Some exciting changes have happened over the summer including the hiring of our new electrical instructor Keegan Reed who was a graduate of ABC Keystone’s apprenticeship and has over 15 years of trade experience. He is a great asset to our program and to the electrical apprentices. Another change that already has received positive feedback is the switch of the HVAC curriculum from NCCER to Cengage. Cengage is more interactive and has simulations that students can use to troubleshoot and learn. The level 4 apprentices already shared that they believe that this new curriculum will be a benefit and great tool to enhance their trade knowledge and learning. Tom Fasnacht, carpentry instructor, and Randy Doxzon, plumbing instructor, have developed new projects and continue to enhance their programs to engage apprentices and increase their learning experiences.

October is Careers in Construction month and a great opportunity to recognize our apprentices as well as workforce development and partnerships with high schools, CTEs and higher education in ABC Keystone’s 33-county footprint. With the workforce shortage, the Chapter will continue to promote careers in construction as a huge component of our strategic plan. Many events take place in October, such as the ABC Keystone Local Competition with the first-ever Team Competition. The fall Construction Wars takes place mid-month, and over 200 middle school students will come to our facility to learn about career options and gain exposure to seven different trade stations to explore options that may be of interest to them as they plan their career paths. We hope to see you at one of these events.

Posted October 6, 2022