MSJC Apprenticeship Program Launches in Fall
In the Fall 2020 semester that begins Aug. 17, MSJC Career Education will launch an
apprenticeship program for the automotive industry in the region.
Companies with automobile maintenance and repair facilities have expressed interest
in helping students who are looking for a career while wishing to learn necessary
skills through a combination of structured on-the-job training and related classroom
instruction at MSJC.
“The apprenticeship provides a vital supplement to the training that our automotive program offers to our students,” said Bob Pensiero, MSJC Automotive Instructor.
“While the automotive program is designed to give our students the vast technical knowledge required by essential workers and plenty of hands-on experience with a wide variety of diagnostic and repair procedures, the apprenticeship provides the student with the opportunity to get one-on-one training from a professional technician in real-world situations,” he said.
“This allows the employer to ‘test drive’ a potential employee, which provides the student who participates in the apprenticeship with a major advantage over other potential applicants to be hired on a permanent basis.”
Apprenticeship is a modern, formal career education pathway. The student-apprentice is hired by the employing company, receives instruction overseen by a mentor within the company, attends prescribed classes at MSJC, receives wages commensurate with progress in learning, is registered with the California Department of Apprenticeship Standards, receives an industry-recognized credential after completing the program, and begins a career with a solid foundation.
The program is sponsored by the LAUNCH Apprenticeship Network, the experienced organization that supports collaboration between industry participants and community colleges throughout the Inland Empire and desert region. Programs already exist for apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing and other areas. MSJC plans to expand the program for other career pathways in 2021.
Interested students should contact MSJC Apprenticeship Coordinator Karla Lazcano at klazcano@msjc.edu.
Companies interested in participating in MSJC’s apprentice program, in automotive or any career education focus, should also contact Karla Lazcano.
Registration begins Monday, July 6, for the Fall 2020 semester. See the Fall 2020 schedule now.