As we celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, taking place November 14-20, we are reminded of the significant role that Registered Apprenticeships continue to play on closing skills gaps, supporting underserved communities, and providing a clear pathway to good-paying jobs across the nation. Here in Michigan, we have a lengthy and well-documented history in supporting apprenticeship programs across a range of industries and occupations. We remain a national leader in Registered Apprenticeships, with more than 1,000 active apprenticeship programs and 18,000 apprentices throughout the state, placing Michigan among the top ten states in both categories (8th and 5th, respectively).
Our collective success in Registered Apprenticeships would not be possible without dynamic involvement by private sector companies, who continue to see tremendous value in apprenticeship programs as a key component to both short and long-term talent attraction and retention strategies. Earlier this month, I was able to sit down with Gabriel McDonald with BASF Corporation to learn more about how his company views Registered Apprenticeships, and how he continues to utilize the expertise of the Michigan Works! network to support his workforce goals.
“Gabriel, can you tell us about your role at BASF?”
I am an HR Specialist supporting our Performance Materials division in North America, and my position is focused on workforce development (e.g. apprenticeship, co-ops, and internships), analytics/reporting of HR data, and digitalization of HR processes (e.g. building automations or apps to streamline administrative processes). I also handle onboarding processes for our Wyandotte, MI site.
“Can you describe how important Registered Apprenticeships are to BASF’s short and long-term talent pipeline strategies?”
Registered Apprenticeships (keyword: “registered”) are important to our short and long-term strategies for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, they give us the ability to open the door to a career in manufacturing that would otherwise be closed off to a lot of great candidates who simply lack experience. By implementing apprenticeship programs, we can take care of the technical training they need and focus on hiring great people. Secondly, by going the route of a Registered Apprenticeship, we gain access to opportunities for grant funding. This creates a stable flow of talent that is subsidized considerably, thanks to organizations like Michigan Works! and our educational partner Henry Ford College who walk us through these processes.
“How have local Michigan Works! staff assisted BASF with Registered Apprenticeships?”
Devin Gray at our local Michigan Works! location has been an invaluable partner in building our apprenticeship program at our Wyandotte site. Not only has he worked hard to find funding opportunities, he has also leveraged his resources to market and communicate these opportunities to the surrounding community. Michigan Works! was there with us when we first started our programs (before they evolved into registered apprenticeships) and we look forward to their support as we continue to grow and improve our programs.
“What is one piece of advice you would share with companies who may be exploring Registered Apprenticeships?”
Make sure you’ve conducted a thorough change management review before you set things in motion to bring an apprentice in. Consider the resources you’ll need (both financial and people) not just to get the program started, but to sustain it. It’s a big commitment bringing a novice into your company, and all parties involved—from the executive sponsors, to the program manager, to the colleagues on the shopfloor providing the on-the-job training—need to be clear that it’s an investment that will take some time to pay off.