Finding, training and keeping staff is frequently at the top of challenges facing manufacturing companies.
According to St. Louis public radio, injection molding firm Permian Plastics LLC is taking advantage of a Missouri state government effort to beef up apprentice programs. The small company is part of what's called "upskilling" — taking current employees and giving them the chance to be in a formal apprenticeship program.
The employee gets a Department of Labor certificate they can take anywhere, but Permian President Ben Abbott wants them to stay on, of course.
According to the article, the state has been working for several years on improving its apprenticeships and in November created an Office of Apprenticeship and Work-based Learning.