Diamond Electric of Eleanor is the latest West Virginia company to establish an apprenticeship program through Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center’s (MAMC) Apprenticeship Works – and it did so in a big way.
The manufacturer of engine coils for, among others, automakers Ford, GM, Stellantis, Subaru and Toyota – enrolled 18 members of its maintenance team as industrial maintenance mechanic apprentices, and officials plans to upskill all members of the department through the apprenticeship partnership at MAMC.
For a manufacturing facility that produces about a million engine coils a month, keeping production equipment operational and running smoothly is crucial.
Plant Manager Seth Clark knows that a highly skilled workforce is key to making that happen. “The more training our maintenance techs have the faster they repair the equipment, the better they repair the equipment,” Clark explained. “So, we reduce our meantime between failure, we reduce our maintenance delay repair downtime. We get more up time on the equipment, more parts out the door while reducing overtime and improving profitability. And we can pay people more.”
Clark determined that MAMC’s Apprenticeship Works provided a conduit for delivering the type of training he envisioned.
“Vic Rose, our engineering manager, had experience with the [Apprenticeship Works] program at another facility. When we started looking into the apprenticeship program, everything that you offered seemed to fit nicely with what we felt we needed with our maintenance techs.”
MAMC helps companies nationwide establish U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) registered apprenticeships in more than 20 high-demand manufacturing occupations, including industrial maintenance mechanic. The framework for each apprenticeship is industry vetted and DOL approved to ensure apprentices learn the requisite skills for particular occupations.
The Apprenticeship Works team provides train-the-trainer services, an online system for tracking progress, helps companies customize the apprenticeship to their particular operations and serves as a liaison with the DOL.
Apprentices receive on-the-job training under the direction of experienced company mentors and related online technical instruction during their two- to four-year apprenticeships. Individuals can shorten the length of their apprenticeship by demonstrating competencies in key areas. Apprentices earn DOL journeyworker certifications upon completion.
“As Seth alluded to, registered apprenticeships boost efficiency and save money,” said MAMC Director Derek Scarbro. “In some states, including West Virginia, they also qualify certain employers for workforce training funds. And national studies demonstrate that apprenticeships boost employee loyalty, leading to greater retention and less turnover.”
To learn more about Apprenticeship Works, contact Apprenticeship Unit Director Heather Cooper at or call 304-720-7741.
The total cost of Apprenticeship Works is $11,603,847. The $11,603,847 (100 percent) is funded through two U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration grants.
July 28, 2005
