PORT ANGELES — The state Department of Labor and Industries’ apprenticeship program is working to expand on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The program already works with the Clallam County Public Utility District, the Port Angeles city utility department as well as the Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill to ready workers for jobs, said Tani Biale, an apprenticeship consultant for state L&I.
“The program works great,” said Kent Myers, city manager.
Biale, speaking to about 70 people at Monday’s Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Port Angeles CrabHouse Restaurant, touted the program as something for any industry — not just traditionally apprenticed jobs like the construction industry.
“Apprenticeship is formalized training with classroom instruction and on-the-job training,” she said.
Biale has worked with hair salons with as few as one apprentice to large industrial companies with hundreds of apprentices.
Biale’s department is the first step for those wanting to create a program for their business before they register with the state.
The help she provides is free for businesses, she said.
The process of creating a plan and then filing can range from three months on, depending on how complex it is, she said.
“Whether there are large groups of industries or even if there are small ones, I’d love to talk to you folks about more programs here,” she said.
“For example, if the businesses in the shipbuilding industry wanted to get together I could present some more detailed information and potentially help with a training plan if they would be interested in it.”
Biale said that apprenticeship differs from strictly on-the-job training in that on-the-job training typically is a short-term solution whereas apprenticeship is usually preparing someone for a long-term job.
“Potentially anywhere could use a program,” she said.
“I recently was talking to a cobbler who was telling me that he didn’t have anyone to sell his shop to and would love to train someone to take over.
“We tend to think about the larger places, but there are also smaller places that perform a community function.”
For more information on the state program, visit www.apprenticeship.lni.wa.gov.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
