The Apprentice Academy Helps Michiana's Workers Get Back on Their Feet

Online, December 15, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Laid-off and displaced workers of Michiana have found a silver lining within the current economic recession in the form of hands-on, industry-driven training delivered by The Apprentice Academy in South Bend and Vincennes University.

The Apprentice Academy, begun in 2007 in partnership with Vincennes University and Vincennes University Business & Industry, specializes in providing a service impossible to find elsewhere: education and training without traditional barriers. The Academy provides Vincennes University credits and, in some cases, national certifications, to all students with the will to learn, even those who do not have a high school diploma or GED.

The Academy's courses are geared towards the needs of Michiana's industries: Residential, Commercial and Industrial Maintenance; Precision Metalworking and CNC; Welding; HVAC; and medical courses in Phlebotomy, Home Health Aide/ CNA, Medical Billing and Coding, Pharmacy Technician and Medical Transcription.

Small class sizes, personal attention from faculty and staff and a focus on job-search skills such as resume-building allow The Apprentice Academy to become a vehicle through which those who have lost their jobs can gain the skills necessary to find new ones. A focus on hands-on training ensures that students are prepared for the jobs they apply for.

The Apprentice Academy provides help with job placement through relationships with local staffing agencies and companies. So far, about 30% of students become employed before graduating from their course of study, and 40% have been able to find jobs shortly after completion.

"The courses I took really helped my confidence," former (and newly employed) student Thomas Sharp says, "Now I can look at a box of wires and know, because of all the hands-on work I did, exactly what to do with it!" It is this kind of confidence in themselves and their own skills that The Apprentice Academy hopes to offer all students as they progress forward in their lives and careers.

Students are currently enrolling for courses! Medical classes will begin in January, Industrial Maintenance in April, Precision Metalworking in August, and all other courses, including Welding and Residential Maintenance, in February. Interested students should call (574) 234-5918, email [email protected], or visit apprenticeacad.org and make an appointment to enroll!