Tag: Apprenticeship

Workforce Wednesday: Alaska Military Youth Academy

The Alaska Military Youth Academy is helping at‑risk kids get the skills they need to succeed and become job-ready.

The academy is a restart program for at‑risk youth: students who have either dropped out of high school or are in jeopardy of not graduating. Cadets live on their campus for 22 weeks, where they can earn their GED. AMYA is an accredited high school that can also teach them important job skills.

The pre‑apprenticeship program is a grant-funded four-week part of the AMYA program that trains youth, in partnership with unions, in four common construction trades. They also can train in the culinary arts and health‑related services. Before they begin formal training, students receive safety and OSHA certifications, along with scaffold building certification required in most trades.

Employability skills are embedded in everything AMYA teaches, so employers know that graduates are equipped with all of the skills necessary to be successful on the job.

Applicants must be between 16 and 18 years old and need a high-school education. To apply, visit AMYA online.

Watch the Workforce Wednesday segment here.

Source: Workforce Wednesday: Alaska Military Youth Academy » KTVA 11

Workforce Wednesday: Healthcare Apprenticeships

Four new health care apprenticeships are now available through the Alaska Primary Care Association.

They include:

  • Certified Community Health Worker – 1-year program or 6 months with experience
  • Certified Billing and Coding Specialist – 1-year program or 6 months with experience
  • Certified Clinical Medical Assistant- 2-year program or 1 year with experience
  • Certified Medical Admin Assistant- 1-year program or 6 months with experience

Classes are conducted online, so, you can “earn while you learn” in your respective community.

Cherise Fowler with the Alaska Primary Care Association said the health care field is projected to grow this year.

“We work with a huge array of community health centers throughout rural Alaska. We noted they don’t always have access to education and post-secondary education for their fields, so we wanted to deliver related technical instruction through the internet to them throughout Alaska,” said Fowler.

Pay during the apprenticeship varies by employer, but is typically a percentage of what a non-apprenticed employee would make. According to the Alaska Primary Care Association, this is how much you can expect to earn, on average, in each profession:

  • Community Health Worker: $24 hourly
  • Certified Billing and Coding Specialist: $21 hourly
  • Certified Clinical Medical Assistant: $19 hourly
  • Certified Medical Admin Assistant or front desk: $18 hourly

To find out if you’re eligible for one of those four apprenticeship programs, click here.

Source: Workforce Wednesday: Healthcare apprenticeships » KTVA 11

Workforce Wednesday: Careers in Fabrication

Careers in fabrication involve taking raw materials and making something useful out of them. One example is making control systems for the oil and gas industry. Alaskans who are interested can also expect a decent salary.

Lynn Johnson, a director with Dowland Bach, says entry level welders start out at around $44,000 a year and can make up to $101,000. General fabricators make about the same, and engineers start at $70,000 and can make up to $162,000 a year.

Johnson said the type of person he looks for has to have a general aptitude for mechanical work and an excellent work ethic. He added that kind of person should also expect to go home at the end of the day proud that they built something with their hands. Johnson mentioned in the past 40 years he’s been proud to see the various things his company has built around Anchorage.

Martha Peck, with Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium, says Alaskans can get training in-state. The Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center (NACTEC) in Nome is a good place to start. Another is getting an apprenticeship with the Sheet Metal Workers Local 23 Union.

For a list of companies hiring or more information, you can head to APICC.org.

Watch the Workforce Wednesday video segment here.

Source: Workforce Wednesday: Careers in fabrication » KTVA 11

Workforce Wednesday: Software Development

Software developers can solve all sorts of real world problems — from timing the Iron Dog race, to how the Alaska Department of Fish and Game collects data.

Geoff Wright, president of Pango Technology in Anchorage, says developers help build software that impacts how oil moves through our pipeline, or to the maintenance of cell towers. He said Pango is currently working with the Division of Motor Vehicles to improve its testing.

Wright said, for instance, Pango helped to make software that replaced the manual timing of the Iron Dog snow machine race. Another example is working with the Department of Fish and Game to replace its old pen and paper system of counting fish, to a smartphone based system. Under the new system a fish could be logged as soon as it’s caught and reported back the state biologist.

Pango typically recruits from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Wright mentioned the company has an active apprenticeship program that has worked out very well for them. The company tries to get the students as soon as they graduate.

Cassie Ostrander with the Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium said starting out, people can make around $4,000 a month. The wage can go as high as $9,000 a month with more experience. Ostrander added that Pango is hiring, as well as GCI, KTVA’s parent company, and the Municipality of Anchorage.

For more information, head to either APICC’s or Pango Technology’s website.

Watch this Workforce Wednesday video segment here.

Source: Workforce Wednesday: Software development » KTVA 11

Workforce Wednesday: The National Center for Construction Education and Research

The Alaska Process Industry Careers Consortium (APICC) has become a sponsor for the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). The NCCER is a nonprofit that helps people build skills and earn credentials across the oil and gas, construction and mining industries.

Mandy Beaulieu who is with both APICC and NCCER, says it can be used at the high school level and then rolled into a postsecondary education. It can even be used to register for an apprenticeship and then utilized in a person’s chosen industry. The program is flexible and can be used by anyone in more than 70 trades within the industry. Those trades include carpentry, iron working, and welding to name a few.

More information can be found on the APICC and NCCER websites.

Watch the Workforce Wednesday video segment here.

Source: Workforce Wednesday: The National Center for Construction Education and Research » KTVA 11