James Mull, President & CEO of the Mull Group, believes that a highly skilled workforce is crucial to maintaining the growth and long-term viability of his company.
Founded in 1961, the family-owned company manufactures and repairs rolling mill equipment, makes gears and other metal components as well as provides galvanizing services and operates a brass and bronze foundry at five machine shops in Wheeling, W.Va., and the surrounding region.
The talent the company needs to perform such diverse and complicated operations isn’t always easy to find.
“We’ve really been trying to evaluate since 2020 to see what we can do to bridge the gap between what students are learning in high schools and the skills we need in the machine shops,” Mull explained. “We build very specialized equipment. Some of it weighs 100,000 pounds. So it’s big. There are lots of setups, not a lot of automation in equipment that size.”
For the past five years, the company has operated an internal training program, but Mull said his leadership team wanted to take that training to the next level with more structure and online classes.
Mull found a solution in Apprenticeship Works, the National Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Partnership at the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC). The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) registered apprenticeship program assists companies across West Virginia and 24 other states in developing, implementing and maintaining apprenticeships in 19 high-demand occupations.
Apprenticeship Works combines on-the-job training with related online technical instruction and provides onsite train-the-trainer services. MAMC’s services are free to companies because the program is funded 100 percent through two DOL Employment and Training Administration grants totaling $11,603,847.
Mull Group has launched two classes of apprentices, with 16 employees across three locations participating in Apprenticeship Works. Occupations include CNC operator/programmer, precision machinist and quality control technician.
Employee feedback has been positive, Mull said. Apprentices find the curriculum relevant and the online interface easy to use. “What we’re seeing so far of apprentices who are self-motivated is them getting better at blueprint reading, better at mathematics skills, which really is exciting because the parts we build are very complicated and the plans or drawings are sometimes very difficult to read.”
Mull said his leadership team initially had concerns about the complexity of launching a registered apprenticeship and managing all of the apprentices, but those concerns were allayed by MAMC staff.
“The MAMC team explained the process on the first phone call, and we’re like ‘this is going to be easy,’” he explained. “The MAMC team is excellent. They make it so seamless. The team cares about what they’re doing. They go above and beyond to explain every phase of the apprenticeship program. We couldn’t be happier with the onboarding process.”
Mull said he sees three major benefits to Apprenticeship Works. One, it demonstrates to customers that the company is investing in its workforce, investing in its future. “They know they have a partner who will be here for a long time.”
Two, apprentices earn DOL journeyworker certifications, good anywhere in the country. “In addition, they’ll feel confident that when they come to work they’ll know how to do their jobs and know how to do them well.”
Three, the employer develops a highly skilled workforce it can rely on.
“They make fewer mistakes, they’re more efficient and we become more profitable,” Mull said. “As the company becomes more profitable, we buy more machines, and as we buy more machines we can hire more people. So, it really, across the board, brings a whole bunch of benefits to your organization.”
MAMC Director Derek Scarbro praised Mull Group’s commitment to its workforce and focus on building a strong, resilient manufacturing base in the region. “Under James Mull’s leadership, the company has seen explosive sales growth in recent years,” Scarbro said. “Our hope is that Apprenticeship Works will ensure Mull has the highly skilled workforce to expand and accelerate that growth.”
To learn more about Apprenticeship Works, contact MAMC’s Apprenticeship Unit Director Heather Cooper at or visit www.mfg.marshall.edu/apprenticeships.
Sept. 29, 2025
