PRNewswire (12/14) reports the Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee (AJAC) has opened the first of several planned training centers “to meet the needs of an industry with a growing skills gap and shortage of middle skilled workers.” The center is located in Kent in Washington State, where the “manufacturing and industrial economy is bustling, but employers are struggling to find qualified and skilled employees.” AJAC Executive Director Demetria “Lynn” Strickland said, “We’re really here to provide the training for employers and for employers to talk to us and tell us what they need.” The article points out that AJAC will offer six programs, to include “orientation and screening for job seekers, pre-apprenticeship for advanced manufacturing, entry-level and advanced apprenticeships for incumbent workers, short-term training for local employers and master mentorship courses to skill-up our current mentors on the shop floor.”
