The pre-apprenticeship program is part of Hershey’s planned expansion at its Augusta County plant and has been supported through a $4 Million American Apprenticeship Initiative grant awarded to the Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board (SVWDB) by the U. S. Department of Labor’s Employment & Training Administration.
Dean Dodson was a student in the August 2018 Wilson Workforce & Rehabilitation Center’s Manufacturing Technology Training class. He saw one of the social media posts for the Hershey Manufacturing Boot camp last spring and contacted the Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board directly.
This years Workforce Solutions Symposium featured Catherine Conlon, a recent graduate from Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center's Manufacturing Technology Training (MTT) program, a Division of the Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, along with her instructor, Steve Sweeney, and Debby Hopkins from the Shenandoah Valley Workforce Development Board.
In recent years, companies have realized that individuals with disabilities are a great source of talent. Chris Hall works as an industrial manufacturing registered apprentice (IMTA) within his job as a production operator on the “almond job-snack size” line at the Hershey plant in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.
On Thursday, local students got a little taste of the manufacturing business in Fishersville. The Valley Career and Technical Center hosted a camp this week in order to get younger people interested in jobs that are in high demand.
The five-day robotics academy, through the Career Pathways for Individuals with Disabilities, served 24 high school-age students from across Virginia. It took place at the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired in Henrico County last Monday through Friday, serving students with disabilities ranging from blindness and low-vision to autism spectrum disorders and learning disabilities.
While most high schoolers may be taking the summer off, a group of Henry County students are preparing for the future this week.
Austin McQuade is thrilled to be working just a few short weeks following his graduation from WWRC’s Manufacturing Technology Training (MTT) Program.
Students are excited about their MT1 Certification and the new opportunities it brings.
On December 9th, the first class from the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center’s (WWRC) new Manufacturing Technology Training program graduated.