Engel's US-based apprenticeship program attracts 1,275 applicants

An apprenticeship program that started last year at Engel North America for prospective hires ages 25 and up has a waiting list with 1,275 applicants interested in becoming injection molding machine technicians.

The four-year program offers a starting pay of $22.80 an hour with educational costs covered and corporate housing provided when training is conducted at the York, Pa.-based subsidiary of Austria-based Engel Holding GmbH.

Graduates earn a nationally recognized journeyman's certificate and receive a full-time job offer from Engel upon completion.

Founded in 1945 by Ludwig Engel, the company builds hydraulic, all-electric and hybrid injection molding machines with 28-5,500 tons of clamping force for manufacturers of caps and closures, automotive components, household appliances, toys, medical syringes, electronic products and more.

Engel sold about $1.46 billion of machinery in the 2021-22 year.

The company has an apprenticeship program in Austria for high school students ages 15 and up. After at least three years of training, if the young adults pass an exam, they receive a certificate acknowledged there nationwide.

However, the U.S. program was set up differently. Engel North America seeks applicants ages 25 and up for the program offered in partnership with the Manufacturers' Association of South Central Pennsylvania. The machine builder isn't targeting younger adults because U.S. apprentices travel and rent vehicles. Previous job experiences are desired, according to Terri Fanz-Falzone, Engel North America's vice president of human resources.

"We found this to be a great marketing tool," Fanz-Falzone said in a phone interview. "People are coming in with real-life experience. They want a career but might not have had money for college. They just need some schooling and a little bit of help finding the right direction."

The program is drawing applicants from all over the United States and Canada following advertisements on job search websites such as LinkedIn, Monster.com and Indeed.

Engel North America officials use a nondiscriminatory point system to select the apprentices. They remove candidate names from resumes, assign the applicants numbers and then assess points during the review, first for qualities such as military service, technical school courses and industry experience.

The top 30 candidates then are scheduled for phone interviews and screenings. That list is pared down to the top 15 candidates, who are then interviewed by an Engel panel that includes Fanz-Falzone and technical staff on the management team. The panel covers a strict list of questions so everyone is given an equal opportunity.

"We ask situational questions, like tell me a story about when you had incorrect tools or no knowledge of a problem," Fanz-Falzone said. "Each question is assigned points. At the end, we get an average and we make job offers to the top candidates."

The process is lengthy, she added, but the number of apprentice positions is limited and Engel is trying to find the best matches.

"Our sweet spot for the program is 18. We have 13 now and five more will start in 2023," Fanz-Falzone said. "As people cycle out and graduate, we can continually replace them with new apprentices."

The current group of apprentices hail from California, Wisconsin, Alabama, Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Apprentices spend the first five months living in corporate housing in downtown York. The company owns several furnished condos and provides everyone their own bedroom and bathroom and shared living rooms, kitchens and cars.

"We try to make them feel at home," Fanz-Falzone said. "We give them tours of the area and show them the different places to eat, where the pharmacies are and all the activities they can do. We want them to want to be here."

Engel provides a vehicle for every two apprentices and also pays for round-trip flights home during major U. S. holidays.

In York, apprentices attend classes four hours a day through MASCPA and then get four hours of hands-on instruction with machine assemblers at the Engel facility.

"During that time, they'll develop relationships with the executive management team and gain a full understanding of what Engel is all about," Fanz-Falzone said.

After the initial training period, apprentices return to live in their own homes and travel to customers with Engel's field service technicians to learn the full extent of the position.

Over the next four years, apprentices will return annually to Engel's York headquarters for a series of formalized education programs conducted by MASCPA.

During the four-year period, apprentices also receive built-in step increases in pay every six months. They will earn about $35 an hour by the program's end.

"What better way to achieve our technician hiring goals than to train them ourselves? And ultimately provide the support and benefits that lead to a long-term career," Engel North America President Vanessa Malena said in a news release.

The apprenticeship program should be simple for other businesses to replicate, according to Fanz-Falzone.

"There's so much fear about starting a program. 'What if I invest time, energy and money and the apprentices leave?' That is a possibility. Do I think all of our apprentices will be here for the next 20 years? No, but if I'm doing it and others start a program, think of the way we'll increase technical skills across the United States. We can make our industry more attractive."

Once a company has an educational partner and committed management, the apprentice programs should be simple to implement.

"The first year takes a lot of time," Fanz-Falzone said. "But once the first session is underway, it's rinse and repeat. There's some coordination, but the rest of it is seamless."

She gets applications continuously, including a handful every week that are unsolicited and others from acquaintances of apprentices and Engel employees.

"Take the first step," Fanz-Falzone urges others in the plastics industry. "The labor pool is tight, and there aren't enough qualified people for all of us. We need to grow our own."