High-tech manufacturing & logistics companies join ICATT to tackle the skills gap and leverage a sustainable workforce development strategy

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, doubled its size again in its second full year in business, with more than 30 apprentices and 35 companies. As high-tech manufacturers and logistics companies seek a long-term solution to their rapidly-diminishing skilled workforce, more are working with the ICATT Apprenticeship Program to deliver a pipeline of talent, and close the skills gap.

“The ICATT Apprenticeship Program combines company-specific knowledge, theory, and hands-on learning to train a globally competitive workforce, and, ultimately, deliver a pipeline of skilled talent to the company,” says Mario Kratsch, Head of the ICATT Apprenticeship Program. “Our program is the only one in the Midwest fully benchmarked on the time-tested German Dual Education System, and we are elated that more companies are finding that the program is what they need to train and retain employees, so that their company can keep pace with market demands.”

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 and support.

This year also marks the first graduating class of the ICATT Apprenticeship Program, with the graduation ceremony taking place in summer, with the apprentices continuing their work at their current ICATT Network Company.

As the call for high-tech apprentices gains momentum, the ICATT Apprenticeship Program and its experienced team is well prepared for growth. “Communicating with companies and apprentices is essential and our new website is a robust platform for providing up-to-the-minute updates, resources and events that not only build awareness, but also underscore our proven workforce development solution,” notes Kratsch.

To learn more about the ICATT Apprenticeship Program, click here.