OPINION

MIKE MASTERSON: Everybody wins

A relatively new apprenticeship program between a corporation's continual need for well-trained employees and a community college that provides such skills is making an impressive difference in young lives and communities across the state.

By employing high school graduates in Arkansas and nationwide, Tyson Foods Inc. is covering an eligible employee's college education in preparation for higher company positions when they graduate.

The work-force training concept, in its second year, offers a path toward achieving a practical and affordable higher education where everyone involved wins. It's also a great way to achieve career objectives without running up thousands in student debt.

Gustavo Salazar of Harrison is a good example. The 18-year-old high school graduate from Harrison attends North Arkansas College on weekdays from 8 a.m. until about 3. Then he drives to nearby Green Forest for a paid 4 p.m. apprenticeship shift that usually lasts about six hours. Tyson is paying for his education and, upon graduation, Salazar will step into a permanent higher-level position within the corporation.

Joe Berry, associate vice president for economic and work-force development at Northark, said Gustavo is its first such student. "His will offer a Tyson-approved credit-bearing apprenticeship in Industrial Maintenance through a curriculum designed to meet the company's needs," he said. "Tyson administers the work program and Northark provides the classroom instruction and college credits. Pretty simple and effective."

Berry said Salazar takes classes such as automation and systems integration with electronics emphasis, robotics, electronics, and mechatronics. In addition, students work under a master craftsman on the job, gaining hands-on training.

Upon graduating, each student receives a Department of Labor certificate signed by the secretary of Labor, an Industrial Maintenance Master, as well as the college's Associate of Applied Science degree in automation and systems integration.

But the benefits for a student apprentice stretch well beyond. For instance, tuition is either reimbursed or paid upfront. They are compensated to attend school rather than paying to go. They gain relevant job experience in their chosen career path through mentoring by a master in their chosen field (as opposed to holding jobs without futures).

Berry said graduates receive multiple industry-recognized endorsements and certifications as launchpads, giving them a foot in the door with a major employer, along with having gained a well-rounded education that includes theory and lab, all in a safe learning environment to practice skills without ever impacting company production.

The corporation also emerges a winner. It acquires an employee to meet immediate needs who can be trained and shaped to meet their goals. It provides a fast track for employees in a high-demand field. The corporation gains tax advantages for hiring apprentices and builds good will in the communities its programs affect.

Mike Rogers, a senior director with Tyson, says the program kicked off nationwide two years ago, and today there are 45 interns from high schools and tech schools, along with 35 apprentices enrolled in two-year schools. The corporation is set to sponsor 60 tech schools within three years (25 already in place), all designed to fill 7,500 industrial maintenance team positions, with 1,400 open positions.

In Arkansas, Rogers said the corporation is pouring millions of dollars into related intern and apprentice programs in 13 communities statewide. They include 33 high school students from communities in Southwest Arkansas, all preparing to become interns as part of the two-year Industrial Maintenance Program at Lockesburg, which opened in August. That effort is a partnership between the University of Arkansas at Cossatot and Tyson.

Meanwhile, Salazar, who is living at modest monthly expense in the International Students home on Northark's Harrison campus, is usually on the job up to six hours during weekdays. But he also scoops up any available weekend shifts.

"I like that I'm working with an experienced person in the area I've chosen to go into," he told me. "The company is very good and flexible with me because they feel school is important. It also is setting me up for a better position when I graduate."

I asked Berry his thoughts on how effective the Northark program has been with Salazar as his first participant. He reflected, then smiled and said, "Tyson is investing in their most valuable resource--their people. By taking such proactive steps, they are preparing to sustain their business into the future starting today. As a major employer locally, regionally, statewide, and nationally, this helps advance our economy at those respective levels as well. Everybody wins at both the micro and macro levels."

I can see this concept offers a lot to high school graduates who don't fancy a traditional and expensive four-year college path. Perhaps even those in families and friends of valued readers. It also strikes me as an opportunity that enables youth to emerge with a debt-free education and a solid career position waiting.

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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist. Email him at [email protected].

Editorial on 09/18/2018

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