Lane Report

aspects of the work but the company
culture. They become a part of the
Mubea family.”
Mubea employs 10,500 worldwide,
including 1,400 in Florence.
FAME focuses on smaller companies
Farris also praises the Kentucky FAME
(Kentucky Federation for Advanced
Manufacturing Education) program. KY
FAME began in 2010 as a companysponsored
partnership of regional
employers in Central Kentucky. The
program has grown to 10 chapters
encompassing most counties, including
Greater Louisville, Northern Kentucky,
and the Lincoln Trail regions, and more
than 125 companies.
FAME students attend classes two days
per week at their local community college
and work 24 hours per week for a
sponsoring employer. After completing
the program, students receive an associate
degree in applied sciences, and more
than 95 percent have begun full-time
employment with the business. Some further
their technical education and earn
an engineering degree.
Developed originally with Toyota
Motor Manufacturing, FAME is an
18-month program that includes the
basic core skills to get started in manufacturing
maintenance (machine tool,
electricity, and maintenance technology)
as well as soft skills.
Over in Florence, Mubea’s apprentice
program is 36 months long, touching
more on skills needed to succeed in
the company’s specialized fields. At
Mubea, younger apprentices are partnered
with more experienced workers
who serve as mentors. All the costs for
school, books and even study time are
paid by the company. If apprentices
want to earn a bachelor’s degree, the
company offers a tuition reimbursement
program. Mubea also has an
apprenticeship shop with state-of-the-art
equipment used exclusively for training.
“We are fortunate to be a company
with a lot of resources,” Farris said. “If
we need help, someone from our Germany
site can come and help us. That’s
great, but if your company is smaller or
doesn’t have those resources, Kentucky
FAME is a great resource.”
Expanding the base
Current Kentucky apprenticeships are
mostly in traditional industries such as the
automotive sector that Mubea represents.
Ramsey hopes to expand apprenticeships
to fill vital advanced manufacturing
positions that require years of
careful mentorship.
Voestalpine Roll Forming Corp. in
Shelbyville is a good example. Founded
in 1947, this roll-forming technology
and manufacturing company began a
registered apprenticeship program 13
years ago. Today, the company has four
apprentices under the tutelage of 11
journeymen who have completed the
company’s apprenticeship program.
Company sales have gone from $25
million to $125 million during this
13-year period.
RFC President and
CEO Ray Leathers credits
not only the apprenticeship
program for helping
fuel the company’s success
but local partnerships with
the Shelby County Area
Technology Center and
the Jefferson Community
& Technical College’s
Shelby County Campus.
Apprenticeship programs
in Kentucky often
Ray Leathers,
President/
CEO,
Voestalpine
Roll Forming
Corp.
Machinist apprentice Lauren Mountford, front,
commutes an hour each way to Florence to be among
36 participants in the program at Mubea, a Germanowned
auto components manufacturer. Mubea, which
was 100 years old in October, opened its
1,400-employee operation in Florence in 1982. With
deep experience using on-the-job training, it launched
its Kentucky apprenticeship program in 2012.
partner with local community and technical
colleges. These schools provide
the core training virtually all apprentices
need. The company then steps in
with industry-specific skills.
“Since 2003, 13 employees have been
successfully certified as apprentices for
the tool and die-making trade – completing
576 hours of classroom instruction
and 8,000 hours of on-the-job
training over a four-year period,” Leathers
said. “The tool and die-maker
apprentices have been an integral part
of our company’s technology development
by providing the competitive edge
that has contributed to our growth.
Micah Craig, a former tool maker
turned process engineer after graduating
from RFC’s apprenticeship program,
is one of them.
“RFC afforded me the opportunity to
participate in the four-year apprenticeship
program with Jefferson Community
& Technical College,” Craig said.
“This culminated in me landing a position
as a tool maker in 2005, and after
completing my apprenticeship in 2007,
I was promoted to design engineer.
Knowing that I wanted to grow my skill
set while continuing to work in
Shelbyville, leadership at RFC supported
me when I chose to pursue the
completion of my bachelor’s degree in
2012 and eventually promoted me to my
current position today.”
Back in Frankfort, Ramsey said the
current need for this workforce development
tool is at an all-time high.
“As I’ve traveled the state speaking
with students, parents and business
leaders, it’s more apparent than ever
that apprenticeships are gaining
momentum because of their unique
ability to address the skills gap that hinders
job growth and economic opportunities
for so many,” he said. “We are
committing an unprecedented amount
of new resources toward growing
apprenticeships in this state, and I look
forward to carrying this message to new
employers and apprentices who can
benefit from this proven method of
training.” ■
Debra Gibson Isaacs is a correspondent for The Lane
Report. She can be reached at editorial@lanereport.com.
THE LANE REPORT • LANEREPORT.COM DECEMBER 2016 35