Eleven Graduate from Machining Pre-Apprenticeship Program for Women

Eleven women from West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio have completed a 10-week advanced manufacturing pre-apprenticeship program at the Robert C. Byrd Institute (RCBI). The Step Up for Women Advanced Manufacturing Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program is a partnership between West Virginia Women Work and Apprenticeship Works. The program is designed to prepare women for manufacturing careers, teaching them the skills they need to succeed as machinists or in related industrial occupations. In addition to hands-on skills training and classroom studies, the women tour manufacturing facilities and shadow employees.

To demonstrate their new skills, the students completed practical, real-world projects during the final week of classes.

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The program is offered twice a year at RCBI Huntington. Those accepted into the pre-apprenticeship program receive free tuition and travel reimbursements as well as work clothes and boots.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship Works creates apprenticeships across the United States in 17 manufacturing occupations. The partnership works directly with manufacturers to establish and manage customized programs using RCBI’s collaborative model to educate workers and bridge the skills gap in American manufacturing. In addition to the Step Up program for women, Apprenticeship Works also offers pre-apprenticeship programs for disadvantaged youth and veterans.

Robert C. Byrd Institute, visit rcbi.org.