Crafts Technology Partners with Harper College to Offer Apprenticeship Program

This summer, Crafts Technology is launching an Apprenticeship benefit to the children of its’ employees.  The student level Registered Apprenticeship Program was developed by Harper College and adopted by Crafts Technology. The program is 4 years in length, registered with the US Department of Labor and is designed to lead to an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Advanced Manufacturing / Precision Machining CNC. There are several stipulations for the student-level apprenticeship program. The first stipulation is that the applicant will need to become a student at Harper College and 18+ years of age at the time of applying. The second stipulation is that the applicant is also a child of a Crafts Technology employee. Lastly, the applicant will need to submit a letter of interest that describes what interested them in a manufacturing career (minimum of 500 words).

Women are one of a number of economically disadvantaged groups and they are grossly underrepresented in manufacturing. As such, women are being strongly encouraged to apply for this apprenticeship program. This apprenticeship program is in keeping with the company’s long history of building a diverse and vibrant workforce at Crafts Technology.  The company is proud to offer a program that can help to increase opportunities for interested students and to encourage and potentially increase representation of economically disadvantaged and/or underrepresented groups within manufacturing.

For each of 2 semesters during the school year, the apprentice will be in class full-time at Harper College. The coursework completed each semester lasts for approximately 8 weeks and occurs twice during the school year. The apprentice will alternate between 8 weeks in school and then 8 weeks at work. There are many benefits to becoming an apprentice:

• Gain practical skills and relevant training in the manufacturing industry.
• Earn national credentials and an AAS degree.
• No costs to the student apprentice.
• Mentorship with experienced team members.
• A career path with Crafts Technology.

While Crafts Technology is looking to further expand the Apprenticeship offering, this program is first being launched and offered to the children of current employees.  The applicants that are interested in beginning a manufacturing career with Crafts Technology, while also obtaining their Associates of Applied Science (AAS) Degree in Advanced Manufacturing / Precision Machining CNC will be submitting their essay and an application internally at Crafts Technology. The deadline for applying is April 5th, 2021.

Participation in the program will require the apprentice to be ready for college-level work. Harper College will assist the apprentice in preparing for this eligibility requirement once the applicant has expressed interest. You can learn more about the Harper College Registered Apprenticeship program here: http:\harpercollege.edu\apprenticeship

Crafts Technology is committed to exploring how to build the program out to further expand employee skills and to attract/train new talent. Crafts Technology is a leader in manufacturing precision parts from superhard materials that deliver optimum life and corrosion resistance for the most demanding applications. Our expertise includes micro-manufacturing, composite fabrication, and new product development that benefits the entire value stream. Products range from tungsten carbide core pins for injection molding to nozzles and needles, cutting tools, modular composite countersink drilling, AFP blades, and wear parts.

* The deadline for applying is April 5th, 2021.