ICATT Apprenticeship Program Expands its Network to Minnesota

As the tenth region to join the network, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area will now be served by the ICATT Apprenticeship Program

Industry Consortium for Advanced Technical Training (ICATT), the leading apprenticeship program in the Midwest for high-tech manufacturers and companies with complex technologies or logistics, expands its network to Minnesota, providing an opportunity to serve the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas.

The ICATT Apprenticeship Program works with companies to develop custom company training plans, collaborate with community colleges on classroom training, and recruit apprentices while providing on-going management. It is the largest apprenticeship program in the US that is fully benchmarked on the German Dual Education System.

With an expected shortage of 3.4 million workers in the next ten years, a skilled workforce is especially hard to come by. Bracing for a skills shortage, high-tech manufacturers need a long-term solution and more companies are beginning to work with the ICATT Apprenticeship Program to deliver a pipeline of talent.

The expansion into the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan areas connects the ICATT Apprenticeship Program to local companies like Turck, Inc., Buhler, Inc. J&E Companies, and PaR Systems. Seven ICATT Apprentices started their careers at these companies in summer 2020.

“With the ICATT Apprenticeship Program, we have a structure in place to provide focused on-the-job training for apprentices,” Verena Walther, Senior HR Generalist at Buhler, Inc. “Through this program, our company can ensure that these apprentices build their skills and contribute to our company in the long-term.”

For the summer 2020 cohort, the ICATT Apprenticeship Program is adding Hennepin Technical College to its network. “Hennepin Technical College is proud to be the first ICATT Network College in Minnesota because we believe in the value of hands-on learning,” said Alison Leintz, Academic Dean, Hennepin Technical College. “Our partnership with the ICATT Apprenticeship Program lets students apply what they learn on our campus in the industry with a real company.”

“The Twin Cities region has a long history of advanced manufacturing,” said Virginia Rounds, Director of the ICATT Apprenticeship Program. “Our expansion gives us the opportunity to partner with local companies and colleges to develop the next generation of technicians these high tech industries will need.”