HCCC Partnership to Create Apprenticeship Program in Advanced Manufacturing

On Feb 8, 2019

Hudson County Community College (HCCC) President Dr. Chris Reber announced that the college has entered into a partnership with Eastern Millwork, Inc. (EMI) to develop and implement a joint apprenticeship and Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Advanced Manufacturing.

The partnership stems from the College’s expansion of its Workforce Development program, and Eastern Millwork’s need for employees trained in advanced manufacturing.

“The increasingly global nature of advanced manufacturing poses great challenges to companies like EMI that are faced with difficulty in finding highly skilled, experienced workers,” Dr. Reber said. “Apprentices who complete this earn-while-you-learn program will climb the career ladder and acquire their A.A.S. degree without any college debt. We are proud to have forged this partnership with EMI, which will ultimately benefit the economic prosperity of our region.”

“Ours is a very specialized industry; one that has been struggling to find qualified, skilled talent,” said Eastern Millwork President/Owner Andrew Campbell. “This partnership with Hudson County Community College embraces both talent and technology. It will help us to fill the void that has existed, it will open the doors for the young people of our community to have well-paying careers with many options, and it will enable EMI and our industry to provide value that importers cannot provide.”

An industry leader in custom and high-end automated, woodwork manufacturing and installation, EMI is investing to train up to four qualified high-school students each year. The Jersey City-based company’s four-year, dual-education program begins this July. Apprentices will receive full benefits – paid vacation and holidays, 401K plan, and health insurance. They will earn a progressive salary starting at $24,500 and rising to $70,000 by the end of the fourth year, when they will be awarded their A.A.S. degree in Advanced Manufacturing, and become engineers at EMI. There are several career tracks for engineers at EMI with additional earnings potential.  There is also the opportunity to continue their education and obtain a bachelor’s degree.

EMI will use the dual-education model developed in Europe. In this model, apprentices hired by EMI will devote three days a week to practical experiences and one to industry-specific studies/training. Their fifth day of each week will be spent at HCCC where they will be engaged in coursework for their degree, including basic English, Mathematics, Sociology, and Humanities studies, as well as Tools, Digital Design for Fabrication, 3D Digital Design, Engineering Graphics, Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Business Communication, Introduction to Materials Science, Technical Report Writing, and other field-related courses.

Mr. Campbell said there will also be an internship component to this program in which high school juniors will begin training and then move into the apprenticeship program after they have graduated high school. They will hire up to four qualified interns, for a 4-week program in July.  Interns will receive a stipend for their work.

EMI is a 26-year-old custom woodworking company that has embraced technology and operates from a newly constructed, state-of-the-art facility in Jersey City. The company has successfully challenged the common belief that high-quality woodworking can only be produced by hand. EMI manufacturing and installation experts have employed technological innovations in architectural woodwork to deliver products of uncommon value without sacrificing old world quality. EMI designs are featured in corporate, residential, institutional, retail, exteriors, aviation, hospitality, and athletic settings including the New York Times Building, General Electric, Rockefeller Center, Price Waterhouse, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lenox Hill Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Salvatore Ferragamo, JFK Terminal 4, and Madison Square Garden.

Hudson County Community College is the largest of four higher-education institutions in Hudson County, New Jersey. The College has an unduplicated enrollment of 15,000 credit and non-credit students, and operates from two urban campuses – the main campus in the Journal Square area of Jersey City and the North Hudson campus in Union City – as well as several off-campus locations throughout Hudson County, including the recently opened Hudson County Schools of Technology High Tech High School in Secaucus.

HCCC is committed to expanding educational opportunities for students in the evolving global economic climate. The College offers more than 60 degree and certificate programs, including signature Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management, Nursing, English as a Second Language (ESL), Fine and Performing Arts, and STEM. HCCC has established many dual-admission agreements with New Jersey universities.

The HCCC Culinary Arts/Hospitality Management program was ranked number six in the U.S. by Best Choice Schools. Over 94% of HCCC Nursing program graduates passed the NCLEX first time out, placing the program’s graduates in the top tier of two- and four-year nursing programs nationwide. In 2017, the Equality of Opportunity Project ranked HCCC in the top 5% of 2,200 higher education institutions for social mobility.

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