Apprenticeships

October 18, 2021 by mlemon

Program is October 28 at the Manufacturing & Engineering Center

Schoolcraft College invites area business to an Apprenticeship Information Session from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 28, at the Manufacturing & Engineering Center.

An apprenticeship program is an excellent way for businesses to ensure a pipeline of right-skilled workers to remain competitive in their industry. Subjects to be covered include understanding program benefits; the registration process; key resources, including current employer financial incentives; and next steps to develop a customized program.

Attendees will hear from the Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship representative as well as workforce partners.

Overall, attendees will learn:

Process overview: How Registered Apprenticeship works
Benefits: Why Registered Apprenticeship works
Knowledge: Resources and contact information to jump start program development
Details: Current employer funding opportunities of up to $1,000 per apprentice.

A student working on plexiglass — Schoolcraft College student Logan Leinbach is the first Woodwork Manufacturing Specialist apprentice. The College and Leinbach’s employer, Burke Architectural Millwork, helped develop the apprenticeship for the Department of Labor.

Space is limited. Please contact Pamela Linton, Apprenticeship Coordinator for Schoolcraft College, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 734-462-7372 by Thursday, October 21, to reserve your spot. Breakfast will be provided.

The Manufacturing & Engineering Center (MEC), 13001 Merriman Road in Livonia, is the home of Schoolcraft College’s engineering and technology programs. Opened in the fall of 2020, the 48,000-square-foot facility more than doubled the space for occupational programs, including:

Biomedical Engineering Technology
Computer Aided Design (CAD)
Engineering Technology
Electronics
Manufacturing Technology/CNC (Computer Numerical Control)
Mechatronics
Metallurgy and Materials Science
Plastic Technology
Welding

MEC also houses a 3D printing lab and robotics lab.

September 13, 2021 by Schoolcraft College

Learn the differences, see which might be right for you

Learning, of course, is the goal of any college experience. Part of that education means familiarizing yourself with some unfamiliar terms. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

As part of an occasional series, we’ll explain phrases, lingo or topics to add to your college vocabulary. We call it “Say What?” If there’s a topic you’d like to see covered, please send suggestions to [email protected].

Today we’ll learn about internships and apprenticeships.

Internships and apprenticeships are two great ways to better understand the responsibilities of your intended career. Internships offer the opportunity for students to “test drive” a potential job, and employers get the opportunity to evaluate a possible future team member. In contrast, apprenticeships are a good fit for those who are already passionate about an occupation and are no longer in the exploratory phase.

Schoolcraft College offers paths to internships and apprenticeships. So what is the difference? See the chart below for a general comparison:

Topic	Internships	Apprenticeships
Emphasis	On-the-job learning	On-the-job training
Usual duration	1 to 12 months	1 to 4 years
Structure	Entry-level work	Focus on mastering specific skills
Mentorship	Not always provided	Individualized training with experienced mentor
Pay	Usually paid	Always paid
Credential earned?	Not usually	Yes – national credential from Dept. of Labor
College credit?	Possible	Yes

A table comparing internships and apprenticeships structure

Information from apprenticeship.gov

Person attaching wire to plexiglass — Schoolcraft College student Logan Leinbach is the first Woodwork Manufacturing Specialist apprentice. The College and Leinbach’s employer, Burke Architectural Millwork, helped develop the apprenticeship for the Department of Labor.

Let’s take a closer look at both.

Internships

Karen Maxton is Employment and Internship Coordinator, Occupational Programs, at Schoolcraft College. In her role, she’s continuously in contact with industry professionals as well as placement and training agencies to understand the needs in the business environment. With that knowledge, she assesses students’ job skills and matches them with employer needs. To prepare students for this next step, she assists with resume building and interview prep/mock interviews.

Once the match is made, Maxton follows up as necessary to ensure a positive and productive experience for both the student and the employer. She also works with employers to develop customized rapid-response, non-credit training programs.

For more information about internships, please contact Karen Maxton by email at [email protected] or by phone at 734-462-4787.

Apprenticeships

Pamela Linton is the Apprenticeship Coordinator for Schoolcraft College. She collaborates with area businesses and the Department of Labor (DOL) to establish apprenticeship programs to meet talent needs. As part of this role, Linton assists employers in creating curriculum related to their occupations, and helps students determine if apprenticeship is the right path for them.

Apprenticeships, which are called the “earn and learn” model, offer opportunities in a wide array of areas, covering almost every student interest. There are currently over 1,200 apprenticeable occupations through the DOL, with more added every year. Currently, Schoolcraft College is proud to have 60 apprentices, representing 20-plus occupations, placed at over 20 area companies.

For more information about apprenticeships, please contact Pamela Linton by email at [email protected] or by phone at 734-462-7372.

July 26, 2021 by Schoolcraft College

Students share ideas, experiences as they start their career track

Congresswoman Haley Stevens, who represents Michigan’s 11^th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, hosted a student roundtable with fellows in her office’s Summer Leadership Development program and other students on Friday, July 16, in the VisTaTech Center on the campus of Schoolcraft College.

Rep. Stevens was joined by Rep. Darren Soto, of Florida, who is the Chair of the House Future Forum Caucus; Rep. Stevens serves as Vice-Chair and has been a member since 2019.

Established in 2015, Future Forum is a generational caucus that includes 50 young Members of Congress who focus on issues important to younger Americans. Their work is guided by three core principles:

Bridging the divide between young Americans and their government.
Engaging with and empowering young voters.
Inspiring the next generation of leaders in public service.

Michigan’s 11th Congressional District contains portions of Wayne and Oakland Counties. Major cities in the district include several that are part of Schoolcraft College’s district – Canton Township, Livonia, Northville and Plymouth. So having Schoolcraft as the site of the forum was a natural one to listen to the voices of younger people.

“(Schoolcraft College) is a destination in Michigan’s 11th District. This is a destination in Michigan in general for training and educating our workforce and plugging into jobs and opportunities.”
Rep. Haley Stevens, Michigan’s 11th District

“20 percent of our district is under the age of 18 years old,” Rep. Stevens noted. “What’s going on is a real demand for talent. We’ve had a lot of people leave the labor force.

“(Schoolcraft College) is a destination in Michigan’s 11^th District. This is a destination in Michigan in general for training and educating our workforce and plugging into jobs and opportunities.

Rep. Haley Stevens welcomes the attendees to the roundtable.

“The other thing is not just the demand for your talent, but with your skill. How do we connect you with a skill that can never be taken from you?”

Developing a skill, or more to the point, a trade through an apprenticeship, is something that Logan Leinbach did while at Schoolcraft College. Leinbach, who spoke at the forum, is the first Woodwork Manufacturing Specialist apprentice.

This position combines skills from computer numerical control (CNC), computer-aided design (CAD) and bench carpentry. It rose out of a need at Leinbach’s employer, Burke Architectural Millwork in Livonia.

“I sat down with my boss, looked at the apprenticeships, which were very specific, and we took bits and pieces and combined them to create an apprenticeship that’s more broad,” Leinbach said. “I’m also learning project management and some of the higher aspects functions of the company so I’m better set to move up in the company or start my own company because I have knowledge of multiple areas.”

Leinbach was joined by fellow Schoolcraft College student Volkan Salmani, who is majoring in CAD and also works as a manufacturing tech lab assistant at the Manufacturing & Engineering Center.

“I definitely enjoyed the program. It’s really awesome to hear from the other young people about their ideas. It was really great,” he said.

Pamela Linton, Apprenticeship Coordinator for Occupational Programs, and Karen Maxton, Employment and Internship Coordinator for Occupational Programs, attended the forum and know first-hand the struggles employers are having to find skilled workers. They work each day to help connect students to opportunities in business and industry.

“Hearing these young people share their experiences about the challenges students face in learning about a range of post-secondary education and career options was both affirming and motivating,” Linton said. “Affirming in that we are definitely on the right track here at the College in our strong outreach efforts and relationship-building with area middle and high schools. And motivating in that we need to keep working hard to get the word out to students about the many outstanding opportunities available to them, especially at Schoolcraft.”

Maxton echoed Linton’s sentiments and was glad to hear that students are open to exploring a variety of options.

“I truly enjoyed watching Congresswoman Stevens interact with so many young people at her recent Future Forum event at Schoolcraft College,” she said. “Many of the students focused on the need for greater career exploration in high school, particularly in the area of apprenticeships and internships, which we were thrilled to hear.

“We couldn’t agree more that students need to truly understand all of the different career pathways available to them. There are so many in-demand, well-paying careers out there, particularly in the professional trades area, and we appreciate Congresswoman Stevens’ interest in highlighting those opportunities.

Dr. Michele Kelly, Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, also was an attendee. She was impressed by how engaged the students were.

“Personally, I was inspired by how much our young people were paying attention and how eloquently they were able to articulate exactly what they need from our government representatives,” she said. “Even though some of the attendees were under voting age, it was clear that when it is time their voices will be loud and clear. It gave me a lot of hope for our future and confidence that Schoolcraft is particularly well-poised to be an integral part of such a bright future.”