Contact: Rose Lynch, DWD Communications Director, 608-266-6753 On the Web: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/newsreleases/2006/0913_green%20bay_tweet_garot.pdf
Green Bay – Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Roberta Gassman today toured Tweet/Garot Mechanical, Inc., where she presented company officials with a gubernatorial commendation recognizing the company’s efforts in the Wisconsin Registered Apprenticeship Program.
“Industry today demands highly skilled, highly trained workers to compete in today’s global market. Tweet/Garot is leading the way by ensuring a prepared workforce for tomorrow,” Secretary Gassman said. “Since Tweet/Garot started training apprentices in 1960, they have shown their dedication to training our workforce by completing 131 apprenticeships.
Apprenticeship is a state-registered, formal training program that emphasizes on-the-job training under the supervision of a qualified tradesperson, as well as classroom instruction at a technical college. The three main occupational categories are Industrial, Service, and Construction. The program is governed by DWD’s Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards in cooperation with the local Joint Apprenticeship Committee. Wisconsin’s Apprenticeship program began in 1911 and was the nation’s first modern apprenticeship law that included area vocational schools as a necessary component of apprenticeship programs. In the first year, 625 apprentices were indentured. Today, Wisconsin has more 9,800 apprentices active in the program.
On average, workers trained as apprentices earn as much or more than some occupations requiring college degrees. Apprenticeships vary from two to five years, are offered on a wide variety of trades and occupations, and require specified hours of day school, night school, and prescribed work experience. Apprentices are able to earn a living while obtaining a higher skill level.
Tweet/Garot Mechanical provides piping, sheet metal and plate fabrication, industrial ventilation, HVAC, and plumbing in the commercial, industrial, and institutional marketplace. The company employs mechanical engineers, plumbers, steamfitters, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, and service technicians.
For more information on Wisconsin’s Apprenticeship program: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dws/appr/default.htm
