DRÄXLMAIER welcomes two new students to youth apprenticeship program
Evelyn Atkins and Ivan Kurpis both accepted a three-year youth apprenticeship at a signing ceremony at R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center in Moore on Nov. 18. The two will be working at the DRÄXLMAIER plant site in Duncan.
"We recognize the importance of preparing the workforce of tomorrow in-house," said Edmund Eggensberger, manager of the DRÄXLMAIER plant site in Duncan. "These two youth apprentices will be able to bring in their own talents and ideas as they work with and learn from experienced employees in a dynamic work environment.”
As a mechatronics apprentice, Atkins will learn how to install and test hard- and software components on equipment on the production floor. Kurpis, a machine tool technology apprentice, will learn how to maintain production equipment by machining metal to replace broken parts. Both will be part-time DRÄXLMAIER employees with a regular working schedule. Any training classes they attend will be paid by DRÄXLMAIER.
Modeled after the German dual vocational training, the standardized DRÄXLMAIER apprenticeship program combines classroom lesson with on-the-job training. While qualified DRÄXLMAIER trainers educate the apprentices in-house according to company-wide uniform standards, a close cooperation with vocational schools and technical colleges ensures that each student received the theoretical knowledge to be successful.
As part of the DRÄXLMAIER apprenticeship program, R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center will provide the customized job-related education component of the program. After successfully completing the program, apprentices will earn a nationally recognized apprenticeship credential from the U.S. Department of Labor.
"R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center is looking forward to continuing our work with DRÄXLMAIER to build its talent pipeline through this unique partnership," said Jerry Wyatt, acting director of R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center. "We know that a registered apprenticeship program is an effective and proven workforce development tool. Partnerships like this provide unprecedented opportunities for our students."
The DRÄXLMAIER Group has been training its workforce of tomorrow in-house since 1984, first at its corporate headquarters in Vilsbiburg, Germany. In 2012, the company initiated its first dual vocational training program outside Germany in Brasov, Romania. Today, the program has been implemented at more than 25 sites around the world. The DRÄXLMAIER site in Duncan has been offering vocational training to young talents since January 2020.
"A youth apprenticeship program provides a wonderful opportunity for a company to build its workforce pipeline with talented young people ready to learn," said Amy Firestone, vice president for Apprenticeship Carolina. "Apprenticeship Carolina and the technical colleges across our state are committed to building South Carolina's skilled workforce with partnerships like this with DRÄXLMAIER."
Since its inception in 2007, Apprenticeship Carolina has played a crucial role in growing apprenticeship participation across the state. As a result, the number of participating organizations has increased from 90 to 1,185 currently, and the number of apprentices has grown from 777 to more than 37,000 total apprentices
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About
DRÄXLMAIER Group
The DRÄXLMAIER Group supplies premium automobile manufacturers worldwide with complex wiring harness systems, central electrical and electronic components, exclusive interiors, and battery systems for electromobility. The combination of core competencies in the interior, electrical, electronic and battery systems areas makes DRÄXLMAIER unique in the industry. The company thereby covers the entire process chain, from the initial idea, through the development and production process, and up to precisely in-sequence delivery of the products to the assembly lines of premium automobile manufacturers. The inventor of the customer-specific wiring harness, the DRÄXLMAIER Group develops pioneering wiring harness technology as well as electrical and electronic components, all directly in-house. These include multi-voltage and high-voltage wiring harness systems, battery management systems and intelligent power distributors. DRÄXLMAIER is working on the future of emission-free mobility with its solution for low-voltage and high-voltage battery systems. As a market leader for interior systems in premium automobiles, the DRÄXLMAIER Group also supplies premium automobile manufacturers with ambient lighting, center consoles, door panels and instrument panels, as well as complete door and cockpit modules.
The DRÄXLMAIER Group is an international automotive supplier with more than 65 sites in over 20 countries. Founded in Germany in 1958, the company employs more than 74.000 employees throughout the world. For the DRÄXLMAIER Group as an owner-managed business, responsible and long-range thinking has always been the basis for economic success. It is therefore a core element of its strategy to design its business and production processes, as well as its products, in a more sustainable manner and in that way to increase the competitiveness of the company on a long-term basis.
In 2022, the DRÄXLMAIER Group generated sales of $5.4 billion (5.1 billion euro). Customers of this member of the Top 100 Automotive Suppliers include Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Porsche and Volkswagen, as well as California-based automotive manufacturers.