ICATT Apprenticeship Program Expands Network to St. Louis Metropolita

CHICAGO - July 16, 2018 - PRLog -- Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT), the leading apprenticeship program in the Midwest for high-tech manufacturers and companies with complex technologies or logistics, expands its network to St. Louis Metropolitan. As the ICATT Apprenticeship Program continues its record growth in 2018, this expansion provides the program the opportunity to serve a previously underserved region of Illinois, while also providing opportunities in Missouri.

The ICATT Apprenticeship Program works with companies to develop custom company training plans, vet and recruit apprentices, collaborate with community colleges on classroom training, and provide on-going management. It is the only apprenticeship program in the Midwest fully benchmarked on the German Dual Education System.

With the high-tech manufacturing unemployment rate lower than the national average, skilled labor is especially hard to come by. Bracing for a skills shortage, high-tech manufacturers and logistics companies seek a long-term solution to their rapidly-diminishing skilled workforce, and more are working with the ICATT Apprenticeship Program to deliver a pipeline of talent.

The expansion into the St. Louis Metropolitan region connects the ICATT Apprenticeship Program to local Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC).

"Our expansion into the St. Louis Metropolitan provides us the opportunity to not only serve a regional manufacturing hub, but also partner with SWIC, who boasts an extensive manufacturing program with state-of-the-art technical facilities," said Mario Kratsch, Head of the ICATT Apprenticeship Program. "Additionally, SWIC has a very engaged and committed manufacturing advisory board who will be a valuable resource to our companies and apprentices."

"SWIC is happy to be working with the ICATT Apprenticeship Program to offer St. Louis-area manufacturers the opportunity to grow their own workforce through a world-class, DoL-registered apprenticeship program," said Bradley Sparks, SWIC Dean of Technical Education. "Getting the hands-on training at a local company while acquiring the theoretical foundation in the classroom is truly the best way to propel young people into a career in manufacturing."

With the program expansion launching in the fall of 2018, the ICATT Apprenticeship Program has several companies in their program, including Antolin Nashville and Seyer Industries.

"Seyer Industries is excited to partner with ICATT and SWIC by participating in their Advanced Manufacturing Technician apprenticeship program," said Mark Seyer, Chief Operating Officer for Seyer Industries. "This is a great step towards developing a stronger workforce for both Seyer Industries and the surrounding community."

To learn more about the ICATT Apprenticeship Program, www.icattapprenticeships.com

About ICATT

The Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT) helps high-tech manufacturers and companies with complex technologies find and retain a loyal workforce by helping them develop a sustainable pipeline of skilled talent through its globally recognized apprenticeship program. The ICATT Apprenticeship Program partners with companies and community colleges to develop custom company training plans using industry-defined competencies and is benchmarked on the globally recognized German Dual Education System. ICATT was established by the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest in partnership with the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, and is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of Labor (AP-27959-15-60-A-17) and The Joyce Foundation. For more information, visit: http://www.icattapprenticeships.com.