Last month, we highlighted Machinery Maintenance, On Site Repair Services, and Valley Fabrication celebrating 1 year accident free (aka no OSHA recordables)! To celebrate, you may have seen our safety orange t-shirts floating around (if you haven’t received one yet ask your favorite MMI, OSR, or VFI guy to send one your way). We also gave our customers a peak into our confined space training. Being that the month of May was safety heavy, we decided to roll it right into June. This month, we would like to highlight our welding skills and training which ultimately leads to being safe.
Apprenticeships
Let’s start with the training aspect. About 20 years ago, we recognized a shift in the skilled labor forces due to a heavy concentration on college degrees. It was becoming harder to find qualified, talented and well-trained individuals to fill open shop positions. So, we decided to do something about it. In the 90s, we developed and started three apprenticeship programs to continue to cultivate the talent our customers required of us. The current programs take 4 years to complete. It includes 8,000 hours of hands-on training, along with classes at IVCC and almost 200 hours of home study courses. By the end of our apprenticeship we turn out highly skilled machinist, fabricators and multi-craft field service technicians. A major aspect of the programs is our concentration on welding. Did you know, we have an in-house accredited American Welding Society training facility? Our facility is one of eight in Illinois and the only on-premise facility outside of an educational institution.
Training
Wayne, our CWI (Certified Welding Instructor – level 1) plays an integral role in training and certifying our apprentices with a heavy focus on safety! Throughout the four-year apprenticeship, Wayne teaches the crews about the different safety precautions necessary for all the different materials, positions, and techniques. In the end, our fabricators and field teams are AWS certified in all techniques, positions and most materials making each graduate a leader in the industry.
The continuous flow of information and hands-on training not only benefits our apprentices, but is also a major reason for our continued success post apprenticeship. In addition to the safety training upfront, Wayne is also our in-house Quality Assurance Manager. He helps to coordinate ongoing safety updates and re-trains our teams to ensure they are compliant in the shops and field. In the end, our focus on training and safety throughout the entire tenure of our employees is a major contributor to our quality workmanship.
Not sure how to handle an upcoming project? All our Managers and Supervisors have been in the industry for at least 30+ years. Lean on our expertise to help complete your next repair, rebuild or custom project!
**Apprentices with the most welding exposure and training are geared towards On Site Repair and Valley Fabrication employees