AIM, Clarion considering pre-apprentice program for high school students

Erie, Pa. — The American Injection Molding Institute and Clarion University are creating a European-style pre-apprenticeship curriculum for high school students.

The new program would build on a conventional apprenticeship program that started just nine months ago. That program is aimed at adults who are already working at plastics firms.

In addition, the two educational organizations want to start a two-year degree in plastics processing.

AIM, which is part of Erie-based Beaumont Technologies Inc., already is well known in plastics training circles. Its flagship program is a yearlong Plastics Technology & Engineering certificate, which offers hands-on training to plastics processors and technicians.

The conventional apprenticeship program kicked off in November. Now, officials say that adding a pre-apprenticeship, too, could tap into the national discussion about how to get young people interested in manufacturing.

"So there would be pre-apprenticeship, then there's the full apprenticeship. There's a two-year degree. And if they really like that, then there's Penn State Erie for a four-year degree," said David Hoffman, AIM director of plastics education and training. "So now there's a stepping stone. The state of Pennsylvania loves that because it shows somebody a career path."

The first class of traditional apprentices has nine men and one woman. The next will have 12 students.

"They're seeing such a good response that they're going to start a second round around September of this year," Hoffman said.

In an interview at AIM, Hoffman, who is also an instructor, recalled how the state-approved apprenticeship quickly came together. Apprentices get intensive instruction while they continue working at their home plants.

A dozen local plastics processors approached the Keystone Community Education Council and said they wanted to develop an apprentice program. Keystone sent out surveys and interviewed plastics executives to find out what skills they were looking for. Hoffman said they got an outline of what employees needed to know in areas such as materials, mold design, processing and quality.

AIM was already offering some of that type of training, for the PTE certificate program. In July 2018, it was invited, along with other service providers and training officials, to put together a plan. Clarion University and AIM worked on a proposal to present to the state.

"It had to be pulled together fast," Hoffman said. "It was very fast, so [AIM] didn't have time to necessarily create a lot of stuff. We looked at their outline, and our courses, and said, 'Yeah we can do that.'"

Clarion University handles instruction for courses that AIM doesn't offer, such as health and safety team building, maintenance and quality systems. AIM focuses on the plastics-specific areas. The classes are held at AIM.

Apprentices get 319 hours of training and 4,000 on-the-job hours.

Hoffman said it's satisfying working with the apprentices, who are experienced plastics workers.

"It's so much fun teaching folks like that, because they're motivated. And to see them blossom in this ... these are going to be some pretty well-rounded folks coming out," he said.

Hoffman happened to walk into the team-building class one day, and he heard a student talk about what the program meant to him.

"I'll never forget, the one gentleman, he goes, 'I see this as my golden ticket. This is a way for me to go beyond, to do better for me and my family.' He's just a shop-floor technician, never had a formal education or anything, but man, he just wants to learn. He wants to do better. And he sees this as an opportunity."

Keystone manages administration, and the agency can help plastics companies get reimbursed for nearly two-thirds of the program's cost. Apprentices can earn Pennsylvania state-registered, industry-centered certifications, and they are eligible to earn credits at Clarion for an associate degree in applied science in industrial technology.

A plastics-specific associate degree could be coming within a year. Hoffman said AIM is talking to Clarion to develop a two-year applied technology degree in plastics processing.

Erie-area processors can get plenty of plastics engineers with four-year degrees from Penn State Erie. But local industry officials say what is greatly lacking are skilled technicians. That's the Holy Grail for the plastics-centric region.

Hoffman said technicians are the missing link. "We're hoping to launch a two-year program with Clarion next spring," he said. Many of the Clarion University courses could be taken online. AIM would hold its classes at its facility for the associate degree, where students could get hands-on experience.

The next step could be pre-apprenticeships at area high schools.

"So, currently our demographic isn't the high school worker. It's people out in industry already," he said. "But why not apply that to somebody coming out of high school?"

According to Hoffman, the idea would be that area plastics companies would agree to pay the young person, who has already expressed an interest in a manufacturing career, and support him or her through the pre-apprenticeship education and then hire the graduate with a bump in pay. Young people would be working full time and earning a paycheck, not paying off student loans.

This is what happens in Germany and Austria, but the idea is still rare in the United States.

"The concept is we bring a high school student, who doesn't want to go to college or spend the time or money, because it is expensive these days. But we can bring them through our PTE program, through what we call our Molders Series, which is teaching them now to run the molding machines, and through our Autodesk/Moldflow training courses, and get them certified in these things. For about a year and a half time frame, for maybe about a third of the cost of a typical university," Hoffman said. "That's got to be pretty attractive, right? They're going to be coming out knowing engineering principles, knowing how to run molding machines and they can also run simulation."

Advocates of the pre-apprenticeship idea will need to explain the idea to both high school principals and guidance counselors, as well as people from industry.

As baby boomers retire, the plastics industry is confronting a critical need for new young employees. Even in a place like Erie, one of the main centers of plastics processing in the United States, industry faces a tough challenge.

"I think one of the big things we fight is the perception of manufacturing. But you go to some of these shops around here, they're pretty nice," Hoffman said. "So this would open up this world to the high schoolers. Just try to get them excited. Try to give the kids an option, rather than working at the mall or working at Starbucks or something like that, where they can actually get a career for themselves and help out the manufacturing community."